To Kill A Dragon
by mdelpin
Summary: A cult summons an ancient dragon goddess to Earthland to destroy Acnologia but she has her own plans. She needs the dragon slayer's powers to jump start her own and will stop at nothing to get them. ***Rated M for some adult scenes, torture and rape of major character. *Random Spoiler Alert. This story is being revised in preparation of updating the sequel, latest update Ch.6
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

This chapter was edited and revised on April 25, 2019

Prologue

The Grand Magic Games, a yearly event spanning five days. Created for no other reason than to decide which guild was the strongest in all the Kingdom of Fiore, or so it was believed.

It was a well-loved spectacle, attended by thousands of fans determined to cheer their favorite guild on to victory. One man, however, had no such plans. Instead, he sat amongst the crowd in the stands of the massive stadium Domus Flau, scrutinizing the mages who were participating intently, seeking to determine if they were the ones he had been sent to observe.

His clothes were nondescript, but no one would have been able to tell as he'd covered them with a black cloak, it's back emblazoned with a symbol depicting five dragons joined at the neck to form a circle. Each of the heads represented a race of chromatic dragon, the likes of which had not been seen for many a century. The dragons were vibrant in their respective hues of red, blue, green, black or white.

This man had watched the first day of the competition with great disappointment as none of the participating mages had seemed to match what he was looking for. His master, however, had been more optimistic, demanding his return and bidding him to continue his observations. There had been much talk of multiple dragon slayers participating at this year's Games, and their group needed to collect as much information as possible about these rare mages.

He waited patiently as the announcer called the first event of the day, Chariot. The contestants would have to race across a chain of moving chariots on their way towards the finish line located at the Domus Flau stadium. The man watched with growing excitement as the announcer listed the contestants. Sting Eucliffe from Sabertooth, and Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox from Fairy Tail would all be competing. Finally, he would get to see dragon slayers in action.

The race began, and he was baffled to see all three dragon slayers perform dismally. What kind of farce was this? These were the great disciples of the mighty dragons, the most powerful creatures to have graced Earthland?

Not one of them was able to make his way across the chariots, seemingly fighting off some sort of illness. Although in all fairness, the dragon slayers appeared determined to persevere and see the contest through. This wasn't what had been expected at all. The man continued to watch the day's events unable to gather any new information.

The third day was intriguing, to say the least. Fairy Tail's Laxus Dreyar fought Raven Tail's Alexei. The man saw Laxus beaten mercilessly, the dragon slayer making no attempt to use his powerful magic to defend himself against the relentless assault of his opponent.

Thankfully the fight the crowd had seen had been but an illusion and Laxus came out the victor. Unfortunately, all the man had been able to see was the lightning radiating off Laxus' body as the illusion dispelled. He wanted to scream in frustration.

That same day he was also able to witness the prowess of Fairy Tail's wind dragon, a little girl by the name of Wendy Marvell. She was quite impressive, but she was of no use to him. Her type of magic was incompatible with their needs.

He left the stadium hoping he'd be able to see the other dragon slayers use their magic sometime soon. He needed to know if they possessed the magic his group required for the summoning. He took advantage of the one day break in the proceedings to report to his master what he'd seen so far. He'd return for the next day of competition.

He found his seat just in time for the tag battle between Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel to begin. He looked around the stadium in boredom and waited for it to be done. When they announced the last tag battle he couldn't believe his luck, it was to be a battle between four dragon slayers, two from Fairy Tail against the two from Sabertooth. This was what he'd been waiting for. There was no way they could hide their power from him now.

It was an epic battle unlike anything he'd witnessed before. The dragon slayers fought with all their might. Such power! He was definitely in awe. Three of the chromatic dragons were represented — Natsu's fire for Red, Sting's light for White and Rogue's shadow for Black. That lightning dragon Laxus would work for Blue. Even though iron was also represented, the metallic dragon would be of no use to them.

He was disappointed to not find a stand-in for the green dragon, but that could come with time. There were bound to be more dragon slayers. The man left the stadium quickly, eager to report his findings.

There was much work to be done, research was still needed on the binding ritual before they could even attempt a summoning, but now that they had found these dragon slayers he knew their plan was much more feasible than they had first thought.

Something had to be done to rid the world of the scourge that was Acnologia.

They would need to keep an eye on both the Fairy Tail and Sabertooth guilds.

xxx

A/N I will not be updating this story as quickly as I did with Good Intentions but I am really excited about the idea, so I will be working on it. I will try to have a chapter up weekly, or every other week as my schedule allows. The following chapters should be longer. I hope you enjoy the prologue and decide to come on this adventure with me. Revised and edited April 25, 2019


	2. The White Dragon

Warning: There is a mature scene towards the middle of the chapter, it is between two consenting adults.

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 1: The White Dragon

Sting Eucliffe, the current guild master of the Sabertooth Guild, found himself at a very dull Magic Council meeting, along with the other guild masters from Fiore. Aside from all the paperwork, this was the part of his job he hated the most.

At least, he could usually count on Rogue to take care of the paperwork for him, but there was nothing he could do about these monthly get-togethers the Council forced on all the guild masters. To make matters worse, Rogue was away on a mission with Orga and had not been able to accompany him.

He supposed it could be worse. He could be Makarov Dreyar, the enduring guild master of the Fairy Tail guild. For the last thirty minutes, the poor man had been listening to complaint after complaint from the Council about the amount of destruction caused by his mages on several jobs.

Sting covered his mouth discreetly, trying to hide his grin as he realized most of the complaints centered around his fellow dragon slayer and friend, Natsu Dragneel, and his team. He'd experienced first hand how quickly Natsu raged out of control and was secretly glad that very few mages in his guild caused him trouble.

After several apologies from Makarov, most of which sounded half-hearted at best to Sting', the council members finally moved on to Goldmine, the guild master for Quattro Cerberus, who was on the receiving end of yet another long list of complaints. Sting dozed off as the council members droned on and on with no end in sight.

He was awakened by Makarov when the meeting finally came to an end. The old man motioned for him to follow. Sting rose from his seat and stretched his limbs, starting to feel some of his enthusiasm for life return. He followed Makarov out of the meeting room and to a nearby bar.

The Fairy Tail guild master went straight to the bartender and ordered a drink, which he quickly downed. He ordered a second and headed to a table at the back of the establishment. Sting ordered his own drink and joined him. He was curious about what Fairy Tail's master wanted to talk to him about.

"So, how are you holding up as Master?" Makarov inquired politely.

"Fine so far, I just didn't expect it to be quite so...boring," Sting replied honestly.

Makarov held a wistful expression on his face, probably wishing he could claim the same.

"Trust me, you should hope it stays that way," Makarov grumbled, "Those brats are going to be the death of me!"

Sting snickered. The old man had a point. With pleasantries now out of the way, he waited for Makarov to tell him what was on his mind.

"I'd like to keep an open channel of communication between our two guilds," Makarov stated, looking at him seriously, "We're the only ones that have dragon slayers in our ranks and with everything that went on with the Eclipse Gate, it just seems like a good idea to share any information that we come across."

Sting thought about the request and decided that there was really nothing to lose, especially since Fairy Tail had more dragon slayers than Sabertooth. It would probably benefit Sabertooth more in the long run.

"I'm not opposed to the idea," Sting replied. While the request didn't seem unusual, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to it than simple caution. "Any particular reason you bring it up now?"

"Have you heard of the Penta Dragons?"

Sting thought about it for a while but shook his head when he couldn't come up with anything. Once again, he wished Rogue were there.

"The Penta Dragons are a cult that has existed for a long time. Their members wear dark cloaks with a picture of five connected dragon heads forming a circle on the back. It's the symbol of the dragon goddess Tiamat, whom they worship," Makarov paused for a moment to see if the name meant anything to Sting, but when the dragon slayer remained impassive, he continued.

"We don't know much about her either, not much beyond the fact that she has something to do with dragons, but the cult has been very active lately. They've apparently stolen several books on dragons and rituals from the Magic Library," Makarov shared.

"What do they want?" Sting decided he would ask Rufus to look into both the Penta Dragons and Tiamat when he returned to Sabertooth.

"We don't know that yet, but Natsu and Laxus both claim they've noticed men dressed in these cloaks following them. They've tried to confront them on several occasions with no success. More interestingly, neither has been able to track them down." Makarov let that information sink in, knowing just how unusual that was. He could almost see the gears turning in Sting's brain as the Sabertooth Master stared at him in disbelief.

"I fear that if this cult is watching _our_ dragon slayers, there is a chance they might be doing the same to you and Rogue. Have you noticed anything like that?", Makarov asked.

"No, I haven't. I think Rogue would have mentioned something if he had, but I'll ask him when I return."

"It may very well be nothing, but I'd rather not be blindsided again. I'll send any information we acquire your way, and I hope you'll do the same."

As Makarov bid him farewell, determined to catch the next train to Magnolia, he offered these words, "As you know, I've been doing this for a long time now, so if you ever need any help or pointers, I'm always available to you."

Sting nodded, thanking him as he shook the older man's hand and sent his greetings to his Fairy Tail friends. He remained behind to finish his drink.

Sting decided to stay at the bar a bit longer to think about what the old man had said. He continued drinking until he was feeling pleasantly buzzed. He was dreading going on the train, and he figured this was as good a distraction as any.

Sting was getting ready to head to the train station when he was distracted by a familiar scent. He was puzzled, not sure why that person would be in Era. He looked around trying to find her. He caught a glimpse of long, straight black hair exiting the bar and chased after. The woman was walking faster, almost like she knew she was being followed but he was in no hurry, he could track her scent easily. He didn't notice the cloaked man that was following him at a distance.

Sting went through dark alleys and winding streets until he entered a street market. He stopped briefly, trying to catch her scent again amidst all of the different smells. Sting sniffed the air around him and after a few false starts was able to find her. He followed her to a small bar in a seedy part of town. He entered the bar and found her sitting on a stool.

He'd been right. It was Minerva Orland, his former guildmate.

"Master Sting," she greeted him breathily.

"M'lady, I haven't seen you in a while," Sting greeted her warmly.

"Yes, I've been away. I needed to do some thinking after..." Minerva gestured vaguely.

Sting nodded in understanding, the Grand Magic Games had taken its toll on the Sabertooth guild. Minerva moved her hand to touch his face gently, her finger tracing the outline of his cheek down to his lips. She motioned to the seat next to her and looked at him invitingly. Sting sat down next to her. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was flirting with him.

He ordered them a round of drinks and Minerva smiled at him seductively. Sting returned her smile with enthusiasm. He knew that women considered him attractive, but he hadn't been expecting such a reaction from Minerva. She'd never shown any interest in him before.

'What would Rogue do?' He asked himself. All rational thoughts ceased as Minerva placed her hand on his lap, her fingers moving ever closer to his dick, making it stir with interest.

He stopped caring about Rogue altogether and started thinking about what _he'd_ like to do, and he was getting some rather good ideas. Minerva leaned in to kiss him, and Sting found himself unable to resist. He responded by placing his arm behind her head and pulling her closer, returning the kiss and craving more.

"How about we go somewhere more private?" Minerva suggested in his ear, "I know a place nearby."

Sting nodded eagerly and let her lead him outside. They stopped for a moment to let Minerva get her bearings. Sting was feeling impatient, Minerva was gorgeous, and he wanted to taste her again.

He pinned her against the wall and kissed her hard. She moaned against him as his hands began to explore her body. The smell of her perfume was overwhelming his dragon senses, making him want to ravage her where he stood. They were both panting, their desire etched on their faces. Sting heard voices behind him and managed to get himself under control, it wouldn't do to be caught like this, he had a reputation to consider now.

Minerva led them to a hotel about three blocks from the bar. They quickly checked into a room and closed the door behind them. Sting had already thrown his vest on the floor and was working on taking off Minerva's dress. It too fell in the general direction of his vest. He stopped, admiring her voluptuous body, clad only in a white strapless bra and lace panties. He felt his pants becoming uncomfortably tighter, so he discarded them as well. He now stood wearing only his boxers.

Sting closed the distance between them and pulled her body against his. He kissed her, gaining access to her mouth, his tongue seeking hers hungrily. Minerva quickly wrapped her tongue around his and sucked roughly.

Sting had never been kissed with such vigor, and it turned him on. He ran his hands down her back until he reached her perfect, tight ass. Sting squeezed it with both hands pulling her ever closer, his control slipping as his enhanced senses picked up the smell of her growing arousal. It was distracting him to where he could barely think.

Sting moaned, the friction of her body moving against him was sending jolts of pleasure to his cock, and he fumbled with her bra wanting to feel her breasts against his bare chest. It felt so good, but it was also frustrating. He ached to do so much more, and this position they were in wouldn't do. He picked her up and threw her on the bed none too gently. Minerva looked amused.

Sting climbed on top of her and started kissing her neck, leaving love marks as he went. His canines aching to bite her, but he'd be careful not to. This was definitely not mating in the dragon sense. He moved his kisses further down until he reached her hardened nipples. She moaned louder as he darted his tongue around one of her tightened buds before catching it between his lips and sucking gently. He gave it a small bite while his hand teased her other nipple between his thumb and index finger. Minerva was writhing beneath him and mewling, her hands moving to his waistband and inside his boxers. She gripped him, wrapping her delicate hand around his hardness and stroking him.

Sting was thoroughly enjoying the feel of Minerva's hand jerking him off. He groaned with pleasure as his cock grew even harder. He stopped his ministrations long enough to take his boxers off and give her better access. As the pace of her hand increased, he began to buck his hips wanting to feel more.

When Sting realized how close he was, he held himself back. He didn't want to come like this, he needed to fuck Minerva, to feel himself deep inside her, nothing else would do. Sting removed her panties and lined himself up to enter her. She was so wet by this point he wouldn't need to prep her.

Minerva surprised him by changing their positions so that he was lying on the bed and she was on top of him. She took control, immediately impaling herself on his cock, grasping the headboard for better control as she screamed out in pleasure.

Sting did not mind in the slightest, enjoying the view as she rode him roughly, just the way he liked. Through his pleasure filled haze he realized he wasn't surprised in the slightest, this was Minerva Orland after all, she wasn't exactly the type to be clingy or gentle.

She was aggressive and loud in her pleasure, and that gave Sting the freedom to be loud as well. They urged each other on with grunts and pants, both too far gone to be able to utter any words. Their bodies were already covered in a thin sheen of sweat as they ground together, faster and faster until Minerva finally screamed out his name. She came hard, squeezing his cock until he couldn't hold back any longer reaching his climax just as noisily as his partner.

As he finished riding out his orgasm, a bright light surrounded Minerva, temporarily blinding him. Confused, he began to feel his magic being drained out of him. He passed out, unable to grasp what was happening as the pleasure he had so recently enjoyed was suddenly replaced with pain.

xxx

The dragon slayer had been easy to fool, and she'd acquired her white magic, the first of the five elements she would need to restore her powers in her current form.

Tiamat looked at the naked man on the bed with barely contained greed, having to remind herself there was no time for another go. She'd already gotten what she needed out of him, and she needed to withdraw.

It had been a long time since she'd been able to lose herself in carnal pleasure and it had proved far more enjoyable than she'd anticipated. She was used to bedding dragons, often having multiple consorts at a time, but the dragons had all been gone for hundreds of years.

Tiamat put her clothes back on and left the room, hurriedly changing back to her Dark Lady avatar once she was outside. She was immediately met by one of her cloaked handlers who teleported them back to the cult's headquarters.

Now that she knew their plan would work she was much more willing to play their game for a little longer.

xxx

Sting woke up the next morning, naked and alone. Although some of the details from the previous night were a bit hazy, he felt exhausted, like he'd used up all of his magic.

Sting looked around for Minerva, but she was already gone. He took a shower, his face breaking into a grin at the thought of his encounter with the territory mage. He couldn't wait to tell Rogue what had happened.

A/N: Revised and edited April 26, 2019


	3. The Goddess Revealed

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 2: The Goddess Revealed

The restless deity looked around at her surroundings with contempt. To think this is what she'd been reduced to, a small room inside some sort of magic nullifying device. The mere perception of being held prisoner rankled her.

That they believed she could be bound amused her, but she'd been careful to do nothing to dispel them of the notion. Time was something she had a lot of at the moment, and she had every intention of using her so-called imprisonment to her advantage.

It was unfortunate that she'd been summoned without her dragon magic. A downright nuisance that dragons were extinct in this time. She'd been aware their numbers had been dwindling during the war, but she could never have foreseen they would die out completely.

It was a stroke of good fortune that traces of their magic still existed in the world. Found inside those dragon slayers and in rare cases inside something called lacrimas, but it was nothing compared to the might of an actual dragon. Had she needed more than a jumpstart to awaken her own dormant magics she would have found herself in a much different position.

She wondered if the white dragon slayer had realized what had happened yet. He seemed a bit simple, and she assumed he wouldn't see the real Minerva soon. While it had been enough for her needs, she'd been surprised at how weak his power had been when compared to a real white dragon, especially considering what she'd recognized inside him. If the remaining dragon slayers were of the same caliber, they shouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.

Those bumbling insects that had summoned her into this world had been busy gathering information on her playthings for weeks now. She would continue to cooperate with their plans until she got more of her magic back. After all, they were doing all the work for her and so far it had proved quite pleasurable.

When she felt strong enough, however, she'd make them all pay for their insolence, and then nothing would be able to stop her. Not even that black dragon they wanted her to kill, Acnologia.

And why should she kill him? Dragons were delightful creatures, and she enjoyed their company. No chromatic dragon had ever refused the chance to please their Queen. Except for that one haughty red dragon who'd dared call himself, King.

Igneel.

The humiliation of that moment still vexed her, and she wished he were still around so she could exact vengeance on him for daring to refuse her.

Although she hadn't expected to find a way out of Avernus this soon, she wouldn't waste this opportunity to remake this world into whatever she desired. She sat in her room and schemed.

xxx

A cloaked man returned to the Penta Dragon headquarters in Margaret Town. He looked frustrated as he entered the nondescript building located by the river. He wasn't looking forward to his report.

He was responsible for the surveillance of Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel. There were several problems with this duty. Natsu was invariably surrounded by his teammates, other members of Fairy Tail or that stupid flying cat. He was always away on missions, seemed to have no love interest, at least not one the man could make out. His main rivals were the ice mage and the Iron Dragon Slayer in that order.

Natsu also had the best senses out of all of the dragon slayers and could always seem to detect when he was being observed. If the man didn't have teleportation magic, he would've been caught countless times already.

All he'd been able to glean from his surveillance was that the dragon slayer was loud, powerful, excessively destructive, enjoyed fighting and liked to eat everything in sight, the spicier, the better. Natsu was able to eat fire as long as it was not produced from his own flames.

In short, he'd not been able to find out anything that you couldn't get out of an issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. He might as well report that Dragneel had been voted one of the most eligible mages in Fiore. He sighed. His Master wasn't going to be happy with him. At all.

He made his way to his Master's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Master," the man said, respectfully bowing his head.

"What are you doing back here? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on the Fire Dragon Slayer."

"He detected me again. I had to teleport away before he found me."

"Again? Are you growing sloppy or is he really that good?" the Master asked.

"He's that good. I've masked my scent differently each time, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. He always knows when I'm there. Perhaps you should send someone else," the man said hopefully.

"Nonsense, you're the best we have. If the dragon slayer found you out, we'll just have to change tactics. We'll have to create a situation where he's alone."

"Perhaps a mission request, that worked to help separate the Black Dragon from the White Dragon," the man suggested.

"I'll consider it. Now tell me what you _have_ learned."

The man groaned inwardly but shared all the information he'd learned. As expected the master looked at him with dissatisfaction.

"That's it?" The Master frowned at him, "Fine, forget the Red Dragon and go keep an eye on the Black Dragon, I don't think you'll be of any further use in Magnolia."

The man bowed and accepted his new assignment. He headed out towards Sabertooth.

The Master sat in his office weighing his options. They'd chosen to go after the White Dragon Slayer first because his dragon was the weakest. Sting Eucliffe was also the most predictable. As a Guild Master, he had to attend the Magic Council's meetings in Era. They'd ensured he attended alone by distracting the Black Dragon.

The Red Dragon, however, was the most powerful of the chromatic dragons and his involvement was crucial to their plans for restoring Tiamat's magic. So far they'd not been able to find a poison dragon slayer for the Green Dragon.

There was a rumor of one being imprisoned by the Magic Council, but he was loath to come under their scrutiny this early. Even though he didn't trust her, he'd have to let Tiamat become more involved in the planning for this one. She was known for her cunning, and he'd made sure she was bound to the Penta Dragons. His decision made he began to pore over the books and parchments on his desk.

xxx

The following day a man and a beautiful woman sat amongst other travelers waiting for their trains at Magnolia station. They watched with interest as a group of teens approached the station.

The group was led by an imposing red-headed girl clad in armor. She was pulling an impossibly large cart filled with luggage behind her as she chatted with a pretty blonde girl who was dressed in skimpy clothes with a whip attached to her waist. Behind the girls was a rather attractive dark-haired boy who was discarding his clothes as he walked. He was arguing with a handsome pink haired boy while a talking cat flew around them.

This was definitely the group they were interested in. The man got up and walked to the ticket counter wanting to overhear the group's destination. The woman continued to observe them. As soon as the group moved away, the man purchased two tickets to the same location and returned to his seat.

The dark haired and pink haired boy continued their argument stopped only when the redhead turned to glare at them. As the discussion continued to escalate the redhead knocked their heads together violently.

The boys looked at her fearfully, putting their arms around each other and pretending to be friends. The other members of the group looked at them in amusement. They continued to glower at each other the second the redhead looked away.

Their train arrived at the station, and they all prepared to board. The man and woman made sure to board behind the group, taking seats that would allow them to continue their observation. They saw the redhead punch the pink haired boy unconscious before the train left the station. The woman was very interested in the redhead. When the train arrived at their destination, she made a point of bumping into her on the way off the train.

They'd overhead the name of the inn the group would be staying at, so they went on ahead and got a room.

"Are you sure it's the woman?" asked the man.

"He's a red dragon," Tiamat shrugged disinterestedly, "He wouldn't be able to resist going after the most powerful one in the group to assert his dominance. Lesser creatures would be beneath him. I think we can safely ignore the others."

They continued to watch and look for an opportunity to put the woman's plan into action.

A/N Edited and revised April 28, 2019


	4. The Red Dragon Pt 1

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 3: The Red Dragon Pt 1

Natsu entered the Fairy Tail guild hall early in the morning. He was in good spirits, the team had just returned from a successful mission, earning enough jewel to allow them to rest for a few days. He was in the mood for a fight.

He looked around for either Gray or Gajeel, but neither of them had arrived yet. It was just as well, his stomach had started rumbling so he decided he might as well eat while he waited. He got Mira's attention and ordered some breakfast.

Natsu wandered over to the table where Lucy was sitting with Levy and sat down to wait for his food. They were talking about Lucy's novel again, and though he tried to join in the conversation, Natsu soon found himself losing interest. He couldn't be bothered with complicated plots about romance, he much preferred action and adventure. He slumped down on the table, bored out of his mind and wondered where Gray could be.

"What's the matter, Natsu?" Lucy asked, unused to seeing him sit quietly.

"I'm bored," He whined, "When's Gray gonna get here?"

" _You're_ looking for Gray?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Considering how often the two of them were at each other's throats she'd think Gray was the last person he'd be waiting for.

"Well yeah," Natsu replied absently, his mind already full of the fight he was eagerly anticipating. "There's a couple of moves I want to try on him."

He'd been working on one move in particular for weeks now which combined with his magic should wipe the smirk off Gray's arrogant face. The last time they'd fought, Erza had interrupted before he'd had a chance to use it, but she wasn't here now. He grinned, anticipating his victory.

Both girls stared at him in surprise before bursting into giggles.

"What's so funny?" Natsu glanced at them, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Natsu's going to put the moooooooves on Gray!" An excited Happy exclaimed, "He liiiiiikes him!"

Natsu knew better than to give any importance to Happy's teasing, all it would do was encourage his Exceed, so he pretended not to hear him and glanced towards the kitchen instead as his stomach gave another loud rumble.

Happy quickly lost interest in the conversation when Natsu didn't react to his teasing and made his way back to Carla.

Lucy and Levy laughed even harder. Mira finally brought his food to the table, and he ignored the two girls in favor of eating his breakfast. He shrugged to himself.

 _Girls are weird. What's so funny about wanting to fight Gray?_

Gray and Gajeel had yet to arrive by the time he'd finished eating. Now that he had even more energy, there was no way he could sit still for much longer. Natsu tried to think of other options. He considered going fishing, but one look at Happy's infatuated face as he talked to Carla was enough for him to realize he was out of luck.

Since there was nothing for him to do at the guild, Natsu decided to walk around the city, there was bound to be something exciting going on.

It was then Natsu remembered Romeo mentioning he was taking magic lessons from Totomaru. With no other plan in mind, he decided to seek him out. It was always fun to fight against another fire mage, and Totomaru's flames were more interesting than most. He headed out in the direction of Totomaru's school, conveniently ignoring that the Rainbow Mage hated his guts.

xxx

Tiamat couldn't believe her luck, the dragon slayer was finally alone. She seized the opportunity, swiftly walking into a dark alley and transforming into a perfect replica of Erza Scarlet.

She was confident she could get what she wanted quickly, after all, it had taken almost no effort to seduce the White Dragon Slayer. Even though it was risky to approach Natsu in broad daylight, she felt they were far enough away from the guild hall for it to be a problem.

She approached her target with confidence, already looking forward to the pleasure she was sure to experience before absorbing his magic.

Natsu felt a hand touch his shoulder roughly and tensed, ready for a fight. He turned to look at his would-be opponent and relaxed when he saw it was only Erza, wearing her usual Heart Kreuz armor.

"Oh, hey Erza. What do you want?" Natsu ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. As much as he admired his older sister figure, he didn't always know how to talk to her without others around.

"You," Erza spoke in a tone of voice Natsu had never heard before. It was oddly throaty, making him wonder if maybe she wasn't feeling well.

"I'm so hungry," Erza stared at him intently, as though he were the only thing on the menu.

"Oh," Natsu smiled at her in understanding. Well, that explained it, Mavis knew he could act oddly when he was hungry. He checked his pockets, relieved when he found some jewels. "Come on, I can help you with that."

The dragon slayer grabbed her by the arm and started leading her away.

"You can?" Tiamat licked her lips in anticipation, "I know a place nearby we can go to."

She was thrilled, she'd known this would be easy. She ogled the dragon slayer's body shamelessly, as Natsu dragged her along with him, already thinking of some of the things she planned to do to it.

"No need to wait, there's a place right here!" Natsu smiled at her happily, utterly unaware of her intentions. He led her inside a building and walked up to the counter.

"Can I have a large piece of strawberry cake for my friend?" Natsu ordered for Erza, eagerly paying for her dessert, something he was seldom able to do since he was almost always broke. A dragon slayer's appetite was not cheap.

Tiamat could only stare at him in bewilderment. _Why the hell is the fool buying me cake, doesn't he get that I'm trying to seduce him?_

They sat down at a table in the busy bakery, and she ate her cake, watching him warily as they sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Feeling better?" Natsu asked her once she'd finished eating.

She nodded at him slowly.

"Well then, it was nice bumping into you. I'll see you later," Natsu got up, waved and left the bakery. Tiamat ran after him.

"Wait!" She exclaimed, hurrying to catch up to her prey. Natsu stopped and looked at her expectantly. She led him to a nearby alley.

"I want _you_ ," She told him, placing emphasis on you and once again trying to insinuate her intentions with her voice.

"What do you want me for?" Natsu couldn't for the life of him figure out what the hell was up with Erza, but he was growing weary of it. "Are we going on a job or something?"

Tiamat peered at him with no understanding as to why her plan wasn't working. What was wrong with this guy? Clearly, it was time to change her approach, maybe the girl's usual violence would be the answer. She punched him in the jaw and waited for him to react.

"Hey, what the hell?" Natsu complained, "What's wrong with you?"

"Aren't you going to hit me back?" she asked, perplexed when Natsu didn't immediately retaliate. This wasn't going at all the way she'd expected.

"Why would I?"

Tiamat punched him again, this time harder.

"Seriously Erza, quit it," Natsu snapped, getting fed up with Erza's strange antics, "You're starting to piss me off."

This was clearly not working, Tiamat bit her lip in frustration and decided to change tactics once again. The dragon slayer seemed a bit dense, perhaps she needed to be bolder to get him to understand what she wanted.

She started to move her hand slowly up his right arm, squeezing his bulging bicep and tracing his guild mark with her fingers. She moved her body close enough to touch his.

"Don't you want to show me how strong you are?" She whispered in his ear in that same husky voice.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Unknown to them, Gray had noticed Natsu leaving the guild just as he was arriving and had decided to follow him. He was in the mood for a brawl, and he could see from the way Natsu was walking that the fire mage had a lot of excess energy.

Gray was anticipating a good fight when he noticed Erza walk up to Natsu. He was a little disappointed. This probably meant they wouldn't get their brawl, but maybe they were going on a job instead.

He hurried to catch up to his friends but lost them in the crowd. He finally spotted them leaving a bakery, and when he witnessed Erza feeling up Natsu's arm muscles and practically throwing herself at his friend he rubbed his eyes to make sure he didn't imagine it.

'What the hell?' Gray thought as the circumstances in front of him remained the same.

Nothing was making sense, so Gray decided to hold back and watch for a bit longer, ignoring the ache he felt as he watched what was transpiring between his two friends.

Tiamat snuck one of her hands inside Natsu's black waistcoat and started running her fingers over his bare chest suggestively while tracing the bulge in his pants with the other.

"You know," She purred as she squeezed the bulge in his pants lightly, "I could make you feel incredible, why don't we go somewhere more private and I'll show you."

Natsu grabbed both of her hands in his and held them away from his body. "Okay, that's enough. I don't know what's gotten into you, but this is seriously weirding me out," Natsu declared, brow furrowed in concern.

"Let's get you back to the guild, you're not acting like yourself."

Gray was following all this, his mouth gaped open in utter disbelief. What the hell was Erza doing? Did Erza like Natsu? Even if she did, this wasn't like her at all. A voice behind him made him startle.

"What are you doing standing there like that?" Erza asked him curiously.

"I'm watching Erza try to get into Natsu's pants," Gray muttered absently. "I can't decide what's stranger, her coming on to him, or him not being interested."

He was so perplexed by the whole situation happening in front of him, he couldn't be bothered to even notice who he was talking to.

"WHAT?! That's impossible!" Erza screeched indignantly. Her face had turned a bright red and in no time at all she had requipped, one sword in each hand.

"Erza?" Gray immediately recognized Erza's distressed voice and turned to look at her.

"How can you be here?" Gray turned back to the scene so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash as he desperately tried to make sense of the situation.

"Where are they?" Erza yelled, eyes darting around the area as she searched for what Gray had seen.

Gray pointed to where Natsu had been only moments before, but he was no longer there. Erza and Gray ran to the alley, but neither could find any sign of Natsu or Erza's doppelganger.

"Tell me everything you saw," Erza demanded as they rushed back to the guild.

xxx

Natsu looked around, hoping to spot someone that could help him get Erza back to the guild while she was in this state. Finding no one, he started moving them in the direction of the guild, dragging her behind him.

Natsu was worried about his friend, he knew she'd never act like this towards him. Erza had always been more like a sister to him.

He was also furious. Someone had done this to Erza, and once he'd gotten her to safety, he intended to find out who and make them pay.

Tiamat struggled to free herself from the dragon slayer's firm grip. She was furious but even more humiliated. Tiamat wasn't used to being refused.

The dragon slayer's reactions confused her, he wasn't acting as a red dragon would, and this left her in a definite quandary. Nothing had gone according to her plan, and she was at a loss as to how to get at his magic, given the constraints inherent in the transfer.

Why was it always the damn red dragons that gave her trouble?

Tiamat thought with irritation as she focused on Natsu in a last ditch effort to figure out how she could salvage this situation. That's when she felt it, there was another presence inside of the dragon slayer.

It reminded her of what she'd sensed inside of the White Dragon Slayer. Tiamat focused on that presence, realizing it felt familiar. She cackled evilly, not quite believing her luck.

Igneel. Fucking Igneel was inside of the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Almost giddy with delight, Tiamat disregarded her original plan of taking the dragon slayer's magic and letting him go as she'd done with the Sabertooth Master. She was being given a chance to exact her revenge on the so-called Dragon King for all his transgressions, and she was not about to waste it.

With her White Dragon magic, she formed small lances of light that shot out through her eyes. She carefully aimed them at Natsu's skull rendering him unconscious, quietly and painlessly.

'Your pain will come later,' Tiamat thought with malice.

Natsu's world faded to black, and he collapsed.

xxx

Erza and Gray called out to Natsu as they ran back to the guild, but there was no response from the dragon slayer. They slammed through the doors of the guild hall, forcing them open as they ran inside. The guild watched in silence as everyone took notice of the pair's troubled expressions.

"Has anyone seen Natsu?" Erza yelled urgently, placing her hands on her knees as she caught her breath from the run.

"He was here for breakfast earlier," Lucy responded, immediately concerned, as she noticed the obvious distress on her teammates' expressions. "What's wrong?"

"Master!" Erza called out, ignoring Lucy for the moment.

"Gray, go check outside. Happy fly home and see if he's there. Max Speed!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy knew better than to ask questions, he immediately flew out of the guild and headed home, going as fast as his magic would allow.

Gray nodded and ran outside, followed by Lisanna who kept watching his face, as if she could figure out what was wrong just by looking at him.

"Gray, what is going on?" Lisanna entreated after a few moments of silence, "Is Natsu okay?"

Gray ignored her questions in favor of searching all around the guild building, it's not like he really had any answers to give anyway. He had no idea what was going on, and his search came up empty, just as he'd expected.

Lisanna continued to look at him with her big earnest blue eyes, obviously wanting to do something to help and it gave him an idea.

"Lisanna, can you fly around the town and see if you can spot him?"

Lisanna nodded, she was worried, but she would save her questions for later. She changed into her Animal Soul: Wings takeover and flew away in search of Natsu.

Gray went back inside, meeting Erza's eyes and shaking his head. They were both baffled as to how they could have lost the fire mage when he'd been so close.

"I asked Lisanna to fly around Magnolia."

"Good thinking, Gray." Erza praised the ice mage, but her voice lacked any enthusiasm.

Happy returned at that moment. They looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head.

Makarov finally came out of his office, drawn by the uproar that seemed different from the general rowdiness of the guild. "What's all the commotion about?"

"We think Natsu has been taken," Erza announced, finally giving voice to her and Gray's biggest fear. "I'm sorry Master, we lost him."

"What happened?" Makarov demanded, Natsu was not exactly the easiest person to get a drop on, none of the dragon slayers were.

Gray recounted what he had seen, much to everyone's amusement and Erza's embarrassment.

"I lost sight of him for a moment when Erza showed up, and then they were gone," Gray finished, he still couldn't get those images out of his head. The woman had been a perfect replica of Erza, good enough to fool even a dragon slayer's enhanced senses.

"There are a lot of hotels in that area, maybe they just checked into one," Makarov suggested evenly. It sounded unlikely, based on what Gray had recounted but they should investigate every possibility and time was of the essence.

"Gramps, I'm telling you, he wasn't interested. I heard him tell her he was bringing her back here," Gray pointed out stubbornly.

"Wendy, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but Laxus and Gajeel aren't here. Do you think you can track Natsu?" Makarov asked, "At least that way we can rule out the hotel angle. Gray and Lucy will go with you."

"Hai! I'll do my best, Master, " Wendy agreed nervously.

"Take communication lacrimas with you and keep me up to date," Makarov ordered as he tried to think of what else they could do.

Wendy, Gray, and Lucy hurried out of the guild, communication lacrimas in hand.

The guild was quiet and tense. Everyone waited for the search parties to return. After some hours had passed everyone returned to the guild. Lisanna had seen no trace of Natsu anywhere in Magnolia. Wendy and the others hadn't been able to pick up his scent past where Gray had last seen him.

Natsu had simply disappeared.

It was official, their beloved dragon slayer had been taken. Makarov went to his office to call Sabertooth.

xxx

Tiamat had changed back to her regular appearance after Natsu lost consciousness. She was quickly joined by a cloaked member of the Penta Dragons who teleported them back to Margaret Town. He was pretty sure that taking the dragon slayer hadn't been part of the plan, but he wasn't about to argue with the deity. He placed Natsu inside of a magic sealing stone, it was the same kind used by the Magic Council to incarcerate mages. Natsu wouldn't be able to use his magic while contained. He hurried to inform his Master of their return.

The Penta Dragon's Master stormed out of his office in search of the Dragon Goddess.

"What were you thinking?" The Master snarled, "This was never part of our plan.

"You need to absorb his magic and return him to his guild," He demanded.

"I will do no such thing," Tiamat replied haughtily, "I have my own plans for the Fire Dragon Slayer."

"We can't risk the wrath of the Fairy Tail Guild just because you want to keep a pet."

"Pet? Oh, no, nothing like that." Tiamat laughed, and the sound sent shivers of fear down the Penta Dragon's Master's back.

"Don't worry, they have no way to connect me to you," She told him, in an attempt to alleviate the man's fear.

The Master wasn't convinced, he seemed unsettled, and Tiamat allowed him to place her back into her own magic sealing stone. She needed time to plot her revenge properly. She was going to take her time with Natsu, by the time she was through with him, Igneel was going to suffer dearly.

She'd already come to a decision, after she'd absorbed Natsu's magic she would no longer need her "caretakers". She would burn everything to the ground and go forth on her own. This world would soon be hers.

A/N: Ok so this is the first big difference, I cringe at how much work this chapter needed. All action is the same it should just flow smoother and there is a bit more description. I hope you enjoy the changes.


	5. Questions Only Lead To More Questions

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 4: Questions Only Lead To More Questions

"Sting, we have a problem," Makarov disclosed to the image of Sting Eucliffe that appeared in the communication lacrima in his office, "Natsu's been taken."

"What?" Sting spluttered, shocked by the news that his hero could have been bested.

"Does it have anything to do with that cult you were telling me about, the Penta whazzits?"

"Penta Dragons," Rogue Cheney appeared in the lacrima beside his Master, looking at his friend with amusement, "Seriously, you couldn't remember the word dragon?"

Sting looked ready to retort, but Makarov took the opportunity to interrupt and get them back on track.

"We're not sure of anything at the moment, but I think the Penta Dragons are the most likely culprits. We know they were following him," Makarov reminded Sting.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Rogue appeared outwardly calm, but his eyes told a different story. They were wide and alert, and Makarov could almost feel that garnet gaze burn through him as Rogue stared at his face attentively, determined to take in every word. It reminded Makarov that the dragon slayers had grown closer since the events of the Grand Magic Games, quickly becoming a family of sorts.

"A shapeshifter pretending to be Erza was able to get close enough to take him."

"That's impossible," Sting instantly protested, leaning forward in his chair, "Natsu wouldn't have been fooled by a shapeshifter, especially not one pretending to be Erza."

Rogue nodded his agreement and proceeded to elaborate, "Even though shapeshifters can change their appearance, they can't imitate a person's scent. It would have been a dead giveaway for any dragon slayer."

Makarov pondered those words, weighing them against what he knew. He hadn't thought about that limitation being a problem. For most humans, it wouldn't have made a difference, but the Twin Dragons were right. Natsu should have picked up on that, unless...

"What was she doing?" Rogue interrupted his train of thought, bringing him back to the conversation.

"According to Gray, she was attempting to seduce Natsu, but he wasn't responding to her advances. Then our Erza showed up and distracted Gray, by the time they searched for Natsu, he was gone. We haven't been able to find any trace of him," Makarov informed them, his tone grim.

"I find that unlikely," Sting muttered, looking very serious. "I mean, who in their right mind would reject Erza?"

"Idiot!" Rogue chastised the Sabertooth Master, "Is that really what you're thinking about right now? Focus!"

Rogue sighed in a way that spoke volumes, shaking his head at his friend's antics, but sporting a subtle twinkle in his eyes. It revealed a fondness that Makarov found endearing, but it was soon replaced with distress as Rogue seemed to realize something.

"Master Makarov, I think Sting was approached as well."

"No, I wasn't," Sting disagreed, his tone leaving no doubt that this wasn't the first time the topic had been brought up, "I've already told you, that was different."

"Right," Rogue scoffed, the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable, "Cause it's not at _all_ strange that Minerva just happened to show up in Era wanting to jump your bones."

"For the last time, it wasn't like that!" Sting huffed, glaring daggers at his friend as he seethed. "I never should have told you!"

"At least Natsu was smart enough to be suspicious," Rogue muttered under his breath, quietly enough that Makarov couldn't make out the words, but Sting's reaction was enough to show something unflattering had been said.

Both dragon slayers looked ready to fight, and Makarov knew he had to do something quickly before their bickering could escalate. Gods knew he'd had plenty of practice with Natsu and Gray.

"BOYS!" Makarov yelled in his most authoritative voice, "We don't have time for this."

Sting and Rogue brought their attention back to the Fairy Tail Master, looking somewhat embarrassed at their behavior.

"That's better," Makarov smiled kindly, "Now can one of you tell me what the hell you're talking about?"

"I apologize," Rogue bowed his head slightly in deference, "At the last Guild Master meeting, Sting bumped into Minerva Orland at Era, and she came on to him rather strongly."

Rogue glanced over at Sting, waiting for a nod from the Sabertooth Master before continuing, "She took him to a hotel and after... well when Sting woke up, he seemed to have been drained of his magic power." Rogue informed the Fairy Tail Master uncomfortably. "He's fine now, but I thought that was rather unusual."

"I have to agree with Rogue, that seems very suspicious given the current circumstances," Makarov had to keep himself from facepalming at Rogue's words, reminding himself Sting was still young and inexperienced.

He might have done the same thing at his age, but they'd just gotten done talking about dragon slayers being targeted! He took a deep breath to compose himself, not wanting to weaken the boy's confidence.

"Would it be possible for the two of you to come to Fairy Tail? I think it would be easier to have all the dragon slayers together to discuss this."

Sting and Rogue had a whispered conversation before turning back to the Fairy Tail Master, "We'll be there tomorrow morning," Sting replied, avoiding Makarov's gaze.

"Sting, we all make mistakes, it's how we learn. Someday I'll tell you some of mine." Makarov promised.

Sting rewarded him with a small smile as they said their goodbyes and Makarov ended the communication. He didn't like this one bit. If this was indeed the same person then why let Sting go and take Natsu? Was Sting a test run and Natsu the real target? Were the other dragon slayers in danger?

Makarov felt responsible, for all that he'd been upset with Sting he knew he wasn't without blame. He regretted that he hadn't taken the threat more seriously, this whole situation could've been avoided if he'd just put some measures in place to protect Natsu.

With how powerful the dragon slayers had gotten it was easy to forget how young and inexperienced they still were. It was a mistake he wouldn't repeat, already thinking of some countermeasures to protect the other dragon slayers.

Makarov left his office and went downstairs to check on his brats. He knew that Erza and Gray especially were having a hard time with Natsu's disappearance.

He found Gray sitting alone at a table, a dark aura surrounding his already gloomy person, but he looked up when he heard Makarov, an unmistakable glint of hope shining in his eyes. Makarov shook his head, and Gray seemed to shrink in front of him.

"Gray, this is _not_ your fault," Makarov declared firmly, as he sat down next to him, knowing Gray was blaming himself for Natsu's disappearance.

"I just stood there, Gramps," Gray avoided his Master's gaze, but Makarov could see that the ice mage was clenching his fists so tightly they were turning an angry red. "I was so concerned by what I thought I was seeing, I never went to him."

Gray looked up at Makarov then, shoulders hunched and eyes wide, "I was right there Gramps, I should have been able to do something."

"You had no reason to suspect that wasn't Erza," Makarov insisted, attempting to sound reassuring.

Gray arched an eyebrow at his Master in disbelief. Makarov coughed awkwardly as he realized how ridiculous that sounded if Erza was acting the way Gray had described.

"Gray, whoever took Natsu was powerful enough to grab him before he could even put up a fight," Makarov held Gray's gaze wanting him to interiorize what he was about to say. "I understand the guilt you're feeling, son, but remember this, if you hadn't been there, we wouldn't even know he was missing."

Gray didn't look entirely convinced, but he gave a small nod. "What do you think they're doing to him?" The words were asked in a soft voice that tore at Makarov's heartstrings. He'd always known there was more friendship between the two rivals than what they showed, but it warmed his heart to see it.

"We can't afford to think about that," Makarov warned him, "Natsu is strong, you know that better than anyone. We must trust in that."

"I realize you're worried, we all are, but you have to hold on to the belief that we _will_ find him soon," Makarov declared firmly.

"And when we do, we'll teach whoever took him what it means to go up against Fairy Tail," Makarov assured him, squeezing Gray's shoulder before leaving him to his thoughts.

He climbed on to the bar to address his guild, taking a moment to observe his mages. He didn't particularly like what he saw.

"Listen up brats," He boomed, waiting for everyone to stop talking and pay attention to him. "A member of our family has been taken from us against his will."

"Now, I know you're all worried and upset, and that's understandable."

He looked down at the crowd of mages that stared back at him, all wearing some degree of shock and exhaustion on their faces.

"I can promise you, we will stop at nothing to get him back, but right now the best thing we can do is to get some rest."

Natsu's teammates and the dragon slayers immediately protested, but Makarov remained firm. "We will begin our search again tomorrow."

Makarov took a moment to address the dragon slayers, "Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy, we don't know whether Natsu was their only target so I must ask you not to go anywhere on your own. Please make sure you have at least one other mage with you at all times."

Once the dragon slayers nodded in agreement he addressed the other mages, "We have a powerful shapeshifter in play, you will let Mira know where you're going at all times. Now go home, we'll meet back here tomorrow morning."

There were a lot of murmurs and complaints, but the guild soon began to empty.

xxx

Sting and Rogue entered the Fairy Tail guild hall the following morning and looked around for the Fairy Tail Master.

"Good morning," Mira's greeting was a lot quieter than usual, but she still managed to be welcoming. "You're from Sabertooth, right?"

Sting and Rogue nodded, "We're here to see Master Makarov."

"The Master is expecting you," Mira gave them the biggest smile she could muster, "I'll let him know you're here." Mira walked to a door they'd never noticed before and knocked.

"Master, the dragon slayers from Sabertooth are here."

Makarov walked out of the room towards them. "Master Sting, Rogue, I'm glad you could make it," He shook their hands before leading them through the door he'd just exited and beckoning them inside.

Sting and Rogue followed the Fairy Tail Master into what looked to be a conference room. There was a large circular table that was filled with mages from the guild. They quickly recognized the other dragon slayers, as well as Natsu's teammates, but there was a blue haired mage they weren't familiar with.

"Now that everyone is here let's begin," Makarov showed the Sabertooth dragon slayers where to sit and waited for them to get settled. "I believe you're familiar with everyone here?"

"Almost everyone," Sting made a point of studying Levy.

"Ah, right. Let me introduce Levy McGarden, she is our resident Script Mage and scholar," Makarov smiled at Levy proudly, causing her to flush with pride.

Sting and Rogue nodded at her and waved, and she smiled at them in greeting.

"Alright then, let's not waste any more time. While updating Master Sting on our situation, it was brought to my attention that he might have been the target of a similar attack last week in Era."

All eyes fell on Sting, who concealed his discomfort by telling Makarov, "Just Sting is fine."

Erza stared at Sting, wondering nervously if the shapeshifter had been pretending to be her at the time. Sting returned her gaze, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Rogue promptly smacked him on the head and scolded him, "Please take this seriously and don't be an ass."

Sting was about to protest but seemed to think better of it. He turned to Erza and assured her, "Don't worry, It wasn't you."

Erza looked relieved. She really hoped that Natsu had realized by now that she hadn't been the one to make those embarrassing advances on him.

"Based on what we've seen so far, it's likely that a sexual act is required to seize their magic. In Sting's case, it seems they were successful. They were able to take some of his magic, although we don't know for what purpose at this time."

"It's possible that they only took Natsu because he didn't cooperate, and will return him as soon as they drain him of his magic," Rogue added, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

The male dragon slayers immediately looked at Wendy protectively, and she rewarded them with a shy smile.

"Laxus and Natsu had reported they were followed on several occasions, so we should consider Laxus a target as well," Makarov continued, looking at Laxus worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, old geezer. Even _if_ they managed to take me, I'd show them what a huge mistake they'd made," Laxus assured his grandfather with a confident grin.

"Could their type of magic be relevant?" Lucy asked, "Natsu is fire and Laxus is lightning. Sting, what kind of dragon slayer are you?

"I'm a White Dragon Slayer, you could say my magic has to do with light," Sting informed her.

"Levy, have you come across anything in your research that has to do with those elements. Maybe in regards to that cult?" Makarov asked the blue haired mage.

"I haven't been able to find out much about them, and there aren't a lot of books about dragons. They stole most of the existing ones from the Magic Library so I can only guess at the moment."

She wrinkled her nose as she voiced her thoughts, "They call themselves Penta Dragons or Five Dragons, so maybe Sting, Natsu, and Laxus somehow represent three of those dragons. I'm not sure who the other two dragons would be though."

"We have air, iron, and shadow here. There's also that poison dragon from Oracion Seis," Wendy pointed out, "I don't know of any other dragon slayers.'

"So we could be looking at three more attacks," Makarov stated, "Why would they pick Minerva or Erza for Natsu?

"Sting's always had a thing for her," Rogue commented matter of factly.

"How would they know that though?" Makarov asked, "Just how long have they been watching?"

"If they've been watching then why Erza?" Lucy wondered, "That doesn't make sense, Natsu has never shown any interest in her. They could just as easily have picked Gray or me."

"Maybe it's just a matter of opportunity," Wendy theorized.

"Where would they have come into contact with Minerva?" Rogue asked, "Nobody has seen her since the Grand Magic Games. Could they have already been watching us then?"

"Who cares? How is any of this helping us find Natsu?" Gray exploded. He'd tried to remain silent, his frustration mounting with every pointless word discussed, but he couldn't take it anymore. Was he the only one that felt the urgency of the situation?

He was tired of all the questions leading nowhere. The temperature in the room began to get colder. "While we are sitting here talking he could be getting raped. You think that just because they might return him when they're done, that's okay?" Gray slammed his fist on the table, "What do you think that's going to do to him? If it was any of us, do you think he'd be sitting here listening to this crap?"

"Gray! We're all upset, but you need to trust that the Master is doing the best he can," Erza reprimanded Gray.

"I know it feels like we're not doing anything, but figuring this out might help us find him," Levy added quietly before getting lost in thought.

"How were they able to evade Laxus and Natsu's dragon slayer senses?" Levy muttered to herself. "What if we asked the Magic Council about the Penta Dragons? They might have more recent information on them."

Makarov didn't feel comfortable reaching out to the Magic Council yet. They always made everything more complicated than it needed to be and they could very well try to put limits on what he and Sting could do.

"I'd rather keep them out of it for now, " Makarov replied, and Sting nodded his head in agreement, "Once they get involved we'll lose control of the investigation."

"Did any of your dragons ever tell you anything that you think might be helpful here?" Makarov asked the dragon slayers.

"Metalicana didn't really talk about other dragons," Gajeel shook his head looking around at the others. The other first generation dragon slayers nodded in agreement. Their dragons had mostly been focused on training them in their magic.

"Alright then, Levy and Lucy you're to go to the Magic Library. See if they can provide you with a list of the books that were stolen and try to locate any books on dragons or dragon lore that the Penta Dragons might have missed."

Both mages nodded in agreement, and Makarov thought of something else, "Also, look for anything you can find on Tiamat herself. Erza, make sure they get there safely."

Erza acknowledged her orders, although she didn't look pleased.

"I would like for all the dragon slayers to stay here, especially you, Wendy," Makarov continued issuing orders, "If anything unusual happens, I want to know about it right away."

"What about me, Gramps?" Gray asked his Master. He really needed to do something.

"I want _you_ to stay here with the dragon slayers in case we need to go on the offensive."

Gray sighed. _Great, more waiting._ He was already going crazy sitting around doing nothing. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was really worried about the Flame Brain. It wasn't like him to go down without a fight, and these people were playing dirty. The idea of Natsu being helpless didn't sit well with him. Natsu had never been weak, not even as a child. Gray should know, they'd been fighting since the day they'd met.

 _Where are you?_

Gray had already felt so much loss in his life. He'd promised himself after he lost his Master Ur, that he wouldn't let anyone else in, but Fairy Tail didn't work that way.

Over the years, they'd all managed to worm themselves into his life and his heart, but none more so than his obnoxious, idiotic, tough as nails, pink-haired best friend.

Gray knew had their positions been reversed Natsu would've probably already used his enhanced sense to find and rescue him. Then he'd tease him mercilessly about being an Ice Princess. Gray would have happily put up with that if it meant his friend was safe.

Three more days would pass before he was given any orders.

A/N: This one gained about 1200 words but Sting and Rogue got a bit more depth which they deserved cause they are important characters in the story. Also added a bit more depth to Gray and Makarov's interactions. Revised and edited May 06, 2019


	6. Be Careful What You Wish For

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 5: Be Careful What You Wish For

Gray Fullbuster sat by himself at the bar in the Fairy Tail Guild. It had been three days since his teammates had left for the Magic Library and he'd been left behind to wait for an offensive that had yet to materialize.

Gray had spent each day the same way, arriving at the guild hall the moment it opened its doors in the morning and staying until it closed at night. He wanted to be able to go the second they got a lead on Natsu's whereabouts. But as the hours crawled by with no news, his mood got progressively worse, covering him in a dark aura that alerted everyone to give him a wide berth.

Despite what Makarov had told him, Gray couldn't keep his mind from imagining what could be happening to his friend, and his fists once again clenched in rage at his impotence.

So he practiced his magic, hoping to keep himself distracted. Focusing his considerable will on making his creations as detailed as possible, Gray formed object after object, anything he could think of, save the one person he wanted to see the most.

Happy chose that moment to fly into the guild. The Exceed looked around and immediately headed to where the ice mage was sitting. He sat on the counter and watched Gray mold for a while before saying anything.

"Do you think he's okay?" Happy asked, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. The usually cheerful Exceed sounded much younger than his six years, waking Gray up to the fact that he wasn't the only one who felt terrible about Natsu's disappearance. They'd gotten so wrapped up in their plans to locate Natsu they'd all forgotten about the young Exceed.

Natsu and Happy were inseparable, yet Gray never once stopped to consider the guilt Happy must be feeling at not being there when Natsu was taken. He studied Happy, trying to think of something to say that would sound reassuring but coming up empty.

He started to plaster a fake smile on his face but thought better of it.

"I really hope so," Gray offered the Exceed a small smile and was rewarded with a weepy hug. He held Happy against him, patting his back and petting his soft blue fur gently, letting him get all his tears out.

He decided he'd step up and take care of Happy until Natsu returned. At the very least it would give him something else to focus on. Once Happy let go of him he suggested, "Would you like to stay with me until Natsu comes back?"

"Are you sure you want me to?" Happy looked at him hopefully, and when Gray nodded, he considered for a brief moment before agreeing, "Okay, but just until Natsu comes back."

They sat in companionable silence after that and Gray went back to molding, making sure to make some fish for Happy.

xxx

"What is that noise?" Gajeel asked irritably. The dragon slayers were all looking around the guild hall trying to pinpoint the source of the repetitive tapping they heard. No one else seemed to be aware of it. The more Gajeel focused on it, the more it sounded like it was coming from outside.

He got up to investigate, with Rogue following behind him. Gajeel opened the door, and something immediately flew inside. It looked like some kind of bird, but it was made entirely out of ice. It must have been tapping at the door with its beak trying to get inside.

The room immediately roared to life. Everyone ready for some excitement after the gloominess of the last few days. They followed the new visitor with interest wondering what it was doing there. After several sweeps of the large room, it finally stopped on the bar where Gray and Happy were sitting.

Gray hadn't noticed any of the commotions as he was once again deep in thought. He jolted when he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

"What the hell!" He snapped, furiously searching for the source of the pain. He looked down and saw a bird made out of ice pecking at his hand.

Gray stared at it in confusion, wondering if he'd somehow managed to use Active Make magic. Once the bird had Gray's attention, it dissolved, leaving a small piece of paper covered in writing on the counter. Gray looked at the paper with trepidation, it could only come from one person. He picked it up warily and read it.

 _Gray, Come to Lamia Scale right away. Come alone. Lyon_

Why would Lyon want him to come to Lamia Scale, and why did he need to go alone? Sure, they'd made some strides in rebuilding their friendship since Galuna Island, but they weren't what anyone would call friends, at least, not yet.

The few times they'd interacted since his return from Tenrou Island had been awkward, and now there was a seven-year age difference to deal with. Then again, it was still better than sitting around doing nothing, and Margaret Town wasn't that far away.

He could take a communications lacrima with him, and they could get in touch with him if anything happened. Gray made up his mind and went to look for the Fairy Tail Master.

He knocked on the door of the Master's office and let himself in. He showed him the slip of paper he'd received from the bird.

"I need to go to Lamia Scale, Lyon needs to talk to me about something."

"Don't you think that's a bit unusual?" Makarov frowned as he looked at the note, "How did you get this?"

"Ice carrier pigeon," Gray grinned, both amused and proud at Lyon's cleverness.

"It still feels like a trap," Makarov pointed out, "Why would you need to go alone?"

"I don't know, but I'm not a dragon slayer, I doubt they'd have any interest in me."

"You're Natsu's teammate. You don't think they'd try to use you against him?"

"They have a shapeshifter in their ranks, Gramps, I doubt they'd need to take me," Gray shuddered as that was skirting dangerously close to the thoughts he'd been trying to suppress earlier.

"You know Lyon best, do you trust him?"

"I do, ever since we returned he seems more interested in being a mentor than anything else. I'll take a communication lacrima with me, and Happy can come. He can fly me out of any danger."

Makarov thought about it and decided to give his blessing. He knew Gray had been going mad sitting around. Having a distraction might be useful for him, it would undoubtedly be good for Happy. He watched them leave for the train station and hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

xxx

Gray and Happy walked into the Lamia Scale guild and looked around for Lyon. Even though Gray had only visited a few times before, he was sure it had never been this quiet. He wondered if something had happened to one of their mages.

Gray saw no sign of Lyon, but he recognized Jura Neekis and headed over to talk to him.

"Gray, I'm getting an awful feeling," Happy confided as he flew next to him.

"I know Happy, me too."

"Hey, Jura. Have you seen Lyon?" Gray asked nervously, "He sent me a message to come. Is everything okay?"

"Greetings, Gray Fullbuster," Jura smiled at him warmly and answered his unspoken question, "Lyon is fine, he's tending to our guest. I'll have Sherry get him for you."

Jura motioned Sherry to get Lyon, and she disappeared into a room Gray hadn't noticed on his other visits.

"Guest? Did something happen?" Gray immediately caught the way Jura had said the word guest. It fed into his feeling that something was off. He didn't know why, but the second he'd walked through the doors of the guild he'd been filled with a sense of foreboding.

Jura gazed at him wondering how much to tell him, but he was saved from answering by Lyon walking towards them.

"I thought I told you to come alone," Lyon snapped at Gray, his complexion becoming pale when he saw the Exceed standing next to his foster brother.

"I did," Gray protested as he looked his brother over with some concern. Lyon was covered in bandages, his skin appeared red and swollen. He looked like someone who had suffered burns recently, something rather unusual for an ice mage.

"What happened to you, Lyon?"

Lyon ignored his question and turned to Jura.

"Jura, do you think you could take Happy to get some fish, he looks hungry. Maybe give him a tour of the guild, too."

Jura nodded in understanding and motioned for Happy to follow him. Happy hovered unsurely, waiting for a sign from Gray before following Jura.

"I swear you're hopeless. Of all the guildmates you could've brought..." Lyon muttered. He took a deep breath and said with a jittery voice, "Let's get a drink."

Gray followed Lyon worriedly. He didn't know what he was expecting when he received the note, but this was definitely not it. They ordered drinks from the bar and Lyon grabbed a bottle and took it with them.

They walked towards the back of the guild and sat at a table that afforded them privacy. Lyon downed his drink and refilled it. He looked at Gray expectantly, bottle in hand as he waited for him to do the same.

"Can you please just tell me what the hell this is about?" Gray pleaded, his anxiety growing by the second. "You look like you're getting ready to tell me my best friend died."

Gray had meant the words as a joke, but instead of laughing or even scoffing, Lyon flinched.

Lyon rubbed the back of his neck slowly, he really wished that none of this had fallen into his lap. He knew how hard it was for Gray to let people get close to him.

Ever since Ur had died, Gray had closed himself off from everyone, and Lyon knew he was to blame for a lot of that. He'd rejected Gray when he'd needed him the most and sent him away, accusing him of killing their foster mother.

It had taken Galuna island for him to realize how selfish he'd been and he'd been trying to make amends ever since, but he knew they still had a long way to go to mend what had been broken.

Gray was stubborn, and he hoarded guilt like a treasure. Lyon didn't think being the bearer of this particular news was going to help. His brother already looked like he'd been put through the wringer, but Lyon knew he couldn't protect him from this.

"We were returning from our mission yesterday afternoon when we first noticed it." Lyon began, surprised by how calm his voice sounded, considering he felt anything but. "There was a cloud of black smoke, so large we could see it from the train. One of the old buildings near the river had caught on fire, it happens from time to time."

"The building itself looked like it had been abandoned for quite a while, but you know how these things are." Gray nodded in understanding, Magnolia was much the same. The buildings were all built on top of each other so fires had to be dealt with quickly or the entire town could be destroyed.

Magnolia, however, had something Margaret Town did not. They had a crazy fire dragon slayer who loved nothing more than to eat as much fire as he could. Gray's heart ached, he could see Natsu so clearly in his mind, and it irked him to not know where he was or how he was doing. Gray could feel Lyon's worried gaze on him, and he met it, prompting him to continue.

"Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the fire had already begun to spread. People were screaming and running to the river with buckets to try to put out the fire, but it wasn't enough."

Lyon paused to finish his current drink and pour himself another. He studied Gray, seeing the confusion and worry on his face. With a sigh, he pressed on.

"That's when we heard the screams coming from inside the building. I rushed in, trying to rescue the people that were trapped." Lyon looked down at his arms, not able to hold Gray's gaze for what was coming.

"I froze everything I could, but it was scorching hot, and my ice wasn't holding up as well as I'd hoped. There was so much smoke, I could barely see where I was going."

"I tried to save them, but I was too late. All I found were charred remains," Lyon bowed his head in shame, "I wasn't able to help any of them."

Gray grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, being mindful of his injuries but still trying to offer him some comfort. It made Lyon feel ten times worse. He didn't deserve Gray's sympathy, not when he would be the one to hurt him once again. He just wanted to get through this, but the worst was still to come.

"I continued to explore the building, hoping I could help someone, and that's when I saw her," Lyon tried to think of how to describe the woman he'd seen, but no words came to mind that could explain the vast magic power he'd sensed from her or the aura of evil she'd exuded.

"In the middle of that blazing inferno, there was a woman. I rushed to get to her, but she wasn't the least bit concerned. All of her attention was focused on a magic sealing stone. She screeched in what might have been another language, and shot rays of light from her hands into it."

Lyon closed his eyes, trying to free himself from the fear that still gripped him when he thought of his experience. When he opened them again, he saw Gray watching him with concern, but also dread.

"Her power was like nothing I'd ever felt before, even Jura couldn't compare. Next thing I knew, I was filled with this paralyzing fear, and there was no doubt in my mind. She was evil. I couldn't think, or move while in her presence, I was literally frozen."

She stared through me like I was no more than an insect and started talking in this amplified voice.

 _Take care of him for me, won't you? I have some things I need to take care of but do tell him I'll be back for him and for what is mine._

Then she walked right through the flames like they weren't even there." Lyon shuddered as he remembered the encounter.

"Who was in the stone, Lyon?" Gray demanded, even though he had a pretty good idea.

"I think you already know."

"Where is he?" Gray shouted at his brother as he stood up and looked around the guild.

"Not yet, Gray," Lyon tried to remain calm in the face of Gray's anger.

"Where is he, Lyon?" Gray yelled even louder. How could he be so stupid? He should've realized who this was about the second Lyon reacted badly to Happy's presence.

"NATSU? Where are you?"

Gray started running towards the door he'd seen Lyon come out of earlier.

Happy flew towards him, "Natsu's here?" he asked , his eyes shining with a hope that tore at Gray's heart.

Gray ignored him and kept heading towards the door. He had to see Natsu, had to know he was alive. Happy flew after him continuing to ask questions. Yuka and Toby came out of the room and stood in front of the door. Their message clear. No one was going inside that room until Lyon said so.

"He can't answer you right now, Gray. Please let me finish."

"You don't understand, I need to see him. It's my fault he was taken."

"I highly doubt that. I promise I'll let you see Natsu once I'm done."

Gray glared at his brother furiously, but he could see in Lyon's eyes that he wasn't going to budge until he'd had his say. He grudgingly allowed himself to be led back to the table. Happy followed, looking confused and forlorn and Gray wrapped his arms around the Exceed, not sure which one of them he was trying to reassure.

"I entered the stone to see who was in there and I barely recognized him. If it hadn't been for his hair, I doubt I would have. Natsu was lying unconscious on the floor, his body covered in blood, and his arms and legs bound with magic sealing cuffs. I could barely feel his pulse." Lyon shivered as he remembered the state he'd found Natsu in, it had shocked him.

Lyon looked at Gray with compassion, he hated to do to his brother, but he needed to prepare him for what he was about to see. He let his words sink in before finishing the worst of it.

"He was tortured, and our healer thinks he was raped as well. He's lost a lot of blood, and she believes his magic was drained out of him. She's done all she can for him, but Natsu is still in horrible shape, and he hasn't woken up yet."

Gray looked at Lyon listlessly, his worst fears confirmed. Happy sobbed in his arms.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" Happy sniffled.

Gray didn't have an answer for the Exceed, he felt ready to vomit. His overwhelming guilt instantly curdled the contents of his stomach, but he tried to comfort Happy as best he could, holding him against his chest tightly and resting his head on the small Exceed's.

Lyon took one look at his brother's face and said, "Stop it, Gray. There is no way any of this is your fault. I don't know how Natsu ended up in this situation, but I _do_ know there is no way you could've gone up against this woman."

He sighed, deciding he couldn't postpone it any longer, it was time for him to take Gray and Happy to Natsu. He hoped he'd prepared him enough.

"There is more I need to tell you, but I think it can wait until after you've seen him. Come on."

Lyon led the way to the door that Yuka and Toby were guarding which turned out to be the infirmary. They stepped aside and allowed the three of them to enter the room.

Gray gasped, covering his mouth with his hand when he observed Natsu lying on the bed. Happy started sobbing again, and Gray instantly regretted bringing him. Natsu looked so frail. They'd washed him up, so he was no longer covered in blood but in some ways that was even worse.

The healer was in the process of changing his bandages, so the blanket only covered his legs up to his waist leaving his chest exposed. It was covered in angry welts, cuts, and bruises that made it seem like his skin color was purple. It also allowed him to see that Natsu's breathing was very shallow.

The parts of him that weren't injured were so pale that Gray looked tanned next to him. Even covered in bruises Natsu's face looked oddly peaceful and Gray reached out his hand to run his fingers through Natsu's pink hair just to reassure himself that his friend was really there. The healer started telling him all of Natsu's injuries, but she gave up when she saw he wasn't listening.

Happy asked her if it was okay for him to sit on the bed with his friend and she assured him it was fine. When she was finished, she left them alone. Gray sat on a chair and placed Natsu's hand in his. He removed the communications lacrima from his pants pocket and called Makarov as Lyon looked at him worriedly.

"Lyon found Natsu," Gray muttered into the device and then handed it to his brother, unable to continue the conversation with his guild master.

"Gray?" Makarov's voice could be heard coming from the lacrima.

"Master Makarov, this is Lyon Vastia. Natsu is here at Lamia Scale. I found him yesterday afternoon."

"Is he okay? Why didn't you reach out to us earlier?"

"Natsu's in pretty bad shape. It looked like he'd been kept against his will, I thought it safer to keep his location secret until I could contact someone I trusted." Lyon could see Makarov nodding his agreement at his explanation, so he proceeded to give him a situation report.

"Our healer has done all she can, but we should probably make plans to move him to a better facility. Chelia might have been able to do better, but she's not scheduled to return for a few days. I know he suffers from motion sickness so I'm not sure what to do here."

"I should also probably come to you. There's a lot I need to tell you, and I'd rather do it in person," Lyon added, grasping at any excuse to be around his brother. He knew Gray would need as much support as Natsu to get over this.

"Is Gray okay?"

"Not really, it's quite a lot to take in, and it sounds like he holds himself responsible."

Makarov sighed. He'd been afraid of this.

"Lyon, I'm going to send Laxus and Wendy to Lamia Scale. They should be able to get there quickly. Hopefully, Wendy will be able to help heal him further. I'll contact the Magic Council to see if they'll lend me Doranbolt. He should be able to teleport Natsu back to Fairy Tail. Once he is moved, you can bring Gray back. I will contact you once the arrangements are made."

Lyon returned the lacrima to Gray who shoved it into his pocket without looking at it. Lyon continued his story in the infirmary since he understood Gray would not be leaving that chair any time soon.

"Sherry and Yuka were distraught when they saw Natsu's condition. They have great respect for him, and they wanted to help, so they went back into the building once the fire was extinguished."

Lyon wasn't sure Gray was listening, but he kept talking, hoping the sound of his voice got through and let him know Lyon was there for him.

"They found a room that had somehow remained intact. It contained a bunch of books and parchments which they collected and brought back here. I haven't looked at them much, but they seem to have information on dragons and summoning rituals. They might be helpful to figure out whatever you guys got yourselves into this time. They also found another magic sealing stone, but it was empty. Seriously, do you guys ever rest between crises?" Lyon tried to inject some levity to the situation, but it fell flat.

Gray didn't respond, and when the communication lacrima went off in his pocket a few minutes later, he handed it to Lyon without a word.

"Hello?"

"Lyon, Laxus and Wendy should be there shortly. The Magic Council is trying to locate Doranbolt, so hopefully, he will arrive soon. I hope you can get through to Gray on the way here."

Makarov ended the call, and Lyon found himself muttering under his breath, "So do I."

Lyon didn't want to look at Natsu anymore, he'd already seen too much when he found him. He was sure he'd have nightmares about this whole ordeal for weeks.

He sat in another chair and scrutinized his brother instead. Lyon wasn't surprised to see Gray looked like he hadn't slept for days. He knew the two were close. As much as he liked to think of Gray as his brother, Natsu had more claim to the title than he did. They'd grown up together. He tried not to feel jealous by that thought. He had no one to blame but himself.

There was a knock on the door and Wendy and Laxus came in. Wendy immediately moved towards the bed whereas Laxus let out a curse when he saw the extent of Natsu's injuries.

"The old man didn't say it was this bad."

"Wendy, you'll be able to help him won't you?" Happy asked expectantly.

"I'm gonna try my best Happy," Wendy patted the Exceed on the head and gave him a hug before going back to Natsu. She activated her magic and scanned him to determine where to start.

Even though she looked resolute, she couldn't hide the tears brimming in her eyes. She began to heal the worst of the internal injuries first, but just dealing with that took most of her magic. She had to stop and rest before she could start on the broken bones.

Lyon gave her his chair and left the room to provide the members of Fairy Tail some privacy. He set about preparing all of the materials that Sherry and Yuka had found for transport to Fairy Tail.

"Hey Fullbuster, what did Vastia tell you happened?"

Gray didn't make any indication that he'd heard Laxus, just continued to stare at Natsu on the bed. Laxus started to shake the ice mage's shoulders, but Wendy stopped him.

"Just let him be for now, Lyon is coming to Fairy Tail. We'll find out everything then."

"Fine, I hope Doranbolt gets here soon. The old man was getting Porlyusica."

They heard a pained moan coming from the bed and turned to see Natsu stirring. He opened his eyes and looked around, his eyes locking with Gray's.

Natsu started to whimper and pulled his hand out of Gray's roughly. His eyes widened and darted around like he was looking for a way to escape. He saw Laxus and Wendy and begged them in a frantic voice "Please, please don't let him hurt me anymore!"

Natsu hugged himself and sobbed hysterically. Everyone stared in shock at the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Gray, I think you'd better wait outside," Wendy told him sadly. It broke her heart to say that to the ice mage, who looked like someone had kicked him in the stomach. Tears streamed down his face as he came to terms with the fact that his best friend was now terrified of him. He nodded slowly, stood up and left the room.

Doranbolt walked past Gray as he entered Lamia Scale's infirmary. He thought the ice mage had been crying. What the hell was going on?

He saw Natsu as soon as he walked in the room. He blanched at the extent of the fire mage's injuries. He waited for Wendy to calm the distraught Natsu down and explain that he would be teleporting him and Happy back to Fairy Tail. Once Natsu had calmed down enough, Doranbolt picked him up, grabbed Happy and disappeared.

Gray had walked back to the table he'd been sitting at earlier. He drank the rest of the bottle by himself, not bothering with the cup. He'd never felt more miserable in his life than he did at that moment.

Gray couldn't get Natsu's terrified face out of his mind. _He_ had done that to him. Even though Gray knew he hadn't been the one to actually hurt Natsu, he felt he might as well have.

The one time the flame brain had needed him, Gray had failed him, and some sick bastard had worn his face to hurt him. He suddenly remembered Lyon telling him that Natsu had been raped and he prayed to whatever gods he could think of that his doppelganger hadn't been responsible for that.

Laxus and Wendy went over to him, but he was far too drunk to talk. They looked around for Lyon and explained what had happened. Lyon winced at the news.

He assured them that he'd speak to Gray and get him back to Fairy Tail the following day. He handed them the materials he'd packed. They thanked him for all his help and left to report to Makarov.

Lyon headed back to the table only to find Gray had already passed out. He had no idea how he was going to get through to his brother. But he had to try, before Gray closed himself off again, this time for good.

Xxx

Added about 1K words, but more importantly, gave Lyon some much-needed depth and edited the hell out of his retelling of events. Also gave more importance to the relationship between Gray and Lyon. I think it sounds better now.

A/N The idea for this story came from this: Lyon sends Gray a note to go to Lamia Scale alone. I can't believe that it took five chapters to get here! I hope you like this part, it is the longest I've ever written. The next chapter will deal with what happened to Natsu while he was captive.


	7. The Red Dragon Pt 2

Warning: There will be disturbing content in this chapter, including torture and the rape of a major character.

Revised and edited on May 16, 2019 - I added more depth to Tiamat's conversation with Igneel, and tried to give her more depth overall. I also added a little more to Natsu's thoughts.

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 6: The Red Dragon Pt 2

Tiamat stepped out of her Magic Sealing Stone and into the dimly lit hallway of the abandoned building the Penta Dragons used as their headquarters. She didn't bother looking around, her enhanced senses already informing her there was no one about.

She walked into the second Magic Sealing Stone and found Natsu still unconscious. She removed his clothing, including the scarf that seemed to be made of dragon scales, Igneel's if she wasn't mistaken.

 _How sweet_ , She thought mockingly, but it reinforced the impression she'd had that this human meant something to the Fire Dragon King. And that thought excited her.

She took a moment to admire the muscular body of the boy in front of her before binding his hands and feet with additional restraints. When she was satisfied Natsu wouldn't be able to move on his own, she stepped back.

It was time.

"Hello, Igneel, remember me?" Tiamat purred mockingly to the dragon dwelling inside of Natsu Dragneel. She ran her fingers through the boy's pink locks hoping to get a rise out of her old _friend_.

"I thought we should have a little chat before your _boy_ wakes up."

"Can you reply?" Tiamat remained quiet for a few minutes, trying to determine if she could hear any kind of answer from the red dragon, but there was nothing.

Tiamat pouted, disappointed she wouldn't be able to hear him beg her for mercy on the boy's behalf, but she supposed that gave her even more freedom to do what she wanted.

She smirked in anticipation at the frustration Igneel would experience as he watched his precious human being tortured. It made her giddy with anticipation.

"No matter, I know you can hear me," Tiamat touched Natsu's cheeks, caressing the softness of his smooth skin with her fingers.

"Such a pretty human you chose, it really is too bad. Had the circumstances been different, I would have given him nothing but pleasure."

"But what you did, Igneel, I can't let it go unpunished," Tiamat stepped back from Natsu. "You took away everything I loved, and now you're hiding in this boy like the coward I always knew you to be."

"So I will punish him in your stead. In every way I can think of," Tiamat announced matter-of-factly, "By the time I'm done, he's going to wish he were dead, that I can promise you."

"But don't worry, I won't kill him," Tiamat crowed, "I have a much better purpose for him."

She left the magic sealing stone and returned to her own to rest. Tomorrow, she would begin.

xxx

Day 1

Natsu jolted awake. He looked around, not recognizing his surroundings. Where was he and how had he gotten here?

 _Erza_

The name pierced through his still muddled thoughts urging him to give it attention. And then he remembered what had happened.

It didn't matter how he'd gotten here, he needed to figure a way out and fast. Had to help Erza get away from whoever had made her act so strangely! If she'd been behaving that way with him, he thought with concern, she might also do so with others.

Natsu examined the small room he found himself in, desperately searching for his friend in every corner, but he soon admitted defeat. He was alone.

It wasn't until he tried to move that he realized the position he was in. Not only was he completely naked, but he was immobilized by magic sealing cuffs. He looked in the room, desperately trying to locate his scarf but, like Erza, it was nowhere to be found. The immediate sense of loss was tremendous.

The room itself was empty except for some torches on the wall, a clip hanging from the ceiling and two built into the floor. Natsu examined his cuffs and noticed there were chains attached to them.

He heard someone approaching. He tensed up but then relaxed as a familiar scent reached his nose. It smelled like Erza! She strode into the room, stopping to look at Natsu appraisingly.

"Erza! Don't just stand there, get me out of these!" Natsu implored urgently.

Erza approached him, slowly running her hands over his bare chest, feeling the powerful muscles underneath. Natsu tried to move away, uncomfortable with the way Erza was touching him, but there was something about the cuffs that seemed to prevent him from moving.

"Why would I want to do that?" Erza peered at him, "I'm the one who put them on you."

Natsu gaped at her, he couldn't understand what was happening, all he knew was the way Erza was behaving was making him feel very uncomfortable. She'd seen him naked plenty of times, why was she acting like this?

Erza used the chains from his handcuffs to pull him up to a standing position, snapping them into the ceiling clip. She then attached his ankle cuffs to the clips on the floor. Natsu tried to struggle but couldn't move his body well enough.

Erza pulled on the chains making sure they held in place and stood back to admire her handiwork. Natsu stood on display, arms pulled taut above his head, legs spread apart.

"Erza, you need to snap out of this," Natsu pleaded, "We need to get outta here."

" _You're_ not going anywhere," Erza replied, her eyes devoid of her usual warmth, making them appear dull and Natsu finally had to accept the Erza he knew wasn't home.

Natsu was unable to fight, something he was definitely not used to. For the first time in his life, he actually felt frightened by Erza. She wasn't acting like herself, whatever drug she'd been given had taken control of her, and that was a problem. Natsu knew what Erza was capable of and how many weapons she had at her disposal. If he couldn't get through to her, he was in serious trouble.

"I want you to answer something for me before we get started," Erza scowled, her eyes piercing into him, demanding an answer. "I'm the strongest one on our team, you should have been trying to take me. Why didn't you?"

She seemed puzzled by his actions, and Natsu had no idea what she meant. Take her? Take her where? He decided to ignore the question and stall for time. "What do you mean by get started?"

"I asked you a question," Erza snapped, her voice shrill as she pulled a long double-edged dagger out from her belt and trailed its flat blade on his chest. "You have one last chance to answer me."

"You're not Erza, are you?" Natsu cursed himself for believing this could ever be her. Of course it wasn't, Erza would never act like this, drug or no drug.

"I am so much more," Tiamat threw her head back cackling in amusement.

"Answer my question, I don't like being ignored," Tiamat demanded, and when Natsu remained silent, she made a shallow cut on Natsu's arm, testing the weapon on his flesh. She relished the hiss that escaped him, her control loosening as the smell of the blood seeping out of him invaded her nostrils.

"Erza is like a sister. I could never see her the way you want me to," Natsu held her gaze defiantly and never one to cower demanded, "Now could you stop wearing her face?"

"I see," Tiamat pretended to ignore his outburst. "A small miscalculation on my part, I guess it must be one of the others then. Interesting."

Tiamat calmly plunged the dagger into Natsu's stomach, using almost surgical precision to ensure she missed all his organs as she turned the blade slowly before pulling it out in one swift motion.

Natsu's body tried to double over as the pain exploded inside him, but he lacked the mobility to do so. He could feel the blood gushing out of the wound, but he managed to withhold his scream.

Natsu didn't know what this was about or what this person wanted from him, but he was stubborn, and pain was something he was definitely used to.

"So who is it then? Who is it that holds your fancy?" Tiamat tapped her temple casually as she considered her other choices.

Could it be the perky blonde or was it perhaps the handsome ice mage? Tiamat mulled about which one would get her what she wanted. She studied Natsu and began to piece a plan together, applying everything she knew about him.

Natsu watched the woman in front of him warily. He had no idea why she was so interested in finding out that information but his instincts screamed that he should keep it to himself, as he'd always done.

Why couldn't he just have stayed at the guild and waited for Gray? How long had he been gone? Was anyone looking for him?

He hadn't told anyone where he was going so it would take his friends time to realize he was missing. He'd just have to hold out until they came for him. He had no doubt they would.

"What did I tell you about ignoring me?" She screamed viciously. The scent of his blood was placing her into a frenzy, and she let it consume her.

Tiamat wanted to cover herself in it, it had been a long time since she'd bathed in a dragon's blood. Her blood lust took over, and she continued to slash at him, covering his arms and legs in cuts, mostly shallow but some deep.

Natsu screamed in agony, no longer able to hold it in. Blood pooled at his feet as it dripped down his body. Erza moved on to his chest, the dagger seeming to dance in the air as it cut and slashed at his flesh.

Natsu was horrified at what was happening, and he was getting weaker, his body growing cold as he lost more and more blood. He welcomed the cold, willing it to lend him strength as it reminded him of Gray and all his other friends.

Once he started to lose consciousness, he didn't fight it. The last thing he saw was Erza covering herself in his blood, her expression one of joy as she danced around him.

'Natsu... Natsu...'

Natsu looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded familiar, filling him with a longing that he'd never gotten over. Everything around him was dark, but he felt very light.

'Igneel?' he asked slowly.

'Natsu, you must listen to me...', the voice spoke urgently.

Day 2

Natsu opened his eyes, slowly blinking back into consciousness. He didn't know how much time had passed. The room didn't have any windows, the only light coming from the torches on the wall. He thought someone had been trying to talk to him. It had seemed important, but he couldn't remember it.

He was back on the floor, which he saw had been cleaned of his blood. Even though it seemed like someone had tended to his wounds while he'd been unconscious, he still felt a constant, throbbing pain everywhere he'd been cut.

Once he'd taken stock of his situation, Natsu finally noticed he wasn't alone. There was an arm draped over his side, and he could feel soft puffs of warm air on his shoulders as he registered soft snores originating from a body behind him. A familiar scent bewildered him. Gray? He couldn't turn around to check, but he allowed himself to feel comforted and drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke again, Natsu found himself alone. He must have imagined Gray's presence, he _had_ been the last thing Natsu had thought of before losing consciousness.

His body still hurt where Erza had stabbed him, his regeneration not able to accelerate his healing while he was wearing the magic sealing cuffs.

No, not Erza, he reminded himself. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He stubbornly tried to move his limbs but couldn't.

He wasn't used to being helpless, and he didn't like it. His frustration deepened as he tried to think of a way out of this nightmare. He needed to get out of here before that psycho came back.

He stared at the flames of the torches with longing. The rumbling in his stomach reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast at the guild. Whenever that was.

An intense blast of light came from outside the room and hit him square in the chest, knocking him out. When he came to, he was once again chained. He heard a snap followed by a sharp pain across his back.

Natsu felt a sticky wetness on his back, and the smell of iron once again wafted into his nose. He couldn't see who was attacking him as they were behind him, but they chose that moment to do it again. He yelled and tried to arch his back away from his attacker. It hurt like hell.

"Oh, you're up!", Lucy chirped, "I was getting tired of waiting, so I was practicing with my whip."

She snapped her wrist and aimed her whip at his chest, leaving an angry looking welt that soon started to bleed. Natsu hissed as the sting intensified his already considerable pain.

"What do you think of my outfit, isn't it super cute?" Lucy twirled in front of him like she hadn't just used her whip on him, "I think the whip makes me look sexy, don't you?"

Natsu gazed at her uncomprehendingly. She cracked her whip again, and he shrieked.

"What did I say about ignoring me? I asked you a question."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, as those words tried to get through his confusion, but he couldn't make the connection.

Lucy walked up to him and pressed her lips against his. The kiss brought him back to the present.

This wasn't Lucy. He bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. She slapped him and wipe the blood off her mouth with the back of her hand while grinning at him admiringly.

"It's nice to see you still have some spirit left in you," She responded to his defiance by lashing at his chest with three successive slaps from her whip. "We'll have to work on that."

"Damn it! " Natsu screamed at Lucy in misery and frustration, "What do you want with me?"

"I really like this, whip!" She ignored his outburst, swishing the whip in the air a couple of times, trying to get the wrist snap just right. "It's fun!"

"Want to play some more, Natsu?"

Natsu was getting angry, and that made him reckless, "You can't even imitate Lucy right, she's much better with that whip than you!"

"We'll just have to see about that!" Lucy's eyes gleamed, accepting his challenge.

She moved behind him again this time lashing at his butt cheeks and legs. Once again, there was a lot of blood, and she could feel her control slipping. It was time for her to leave for a while. It wouldn't do to kill him, not for what she had in mind.

Natsu sighed in relief as she left. His eyes had been starting to tear up, but he hadn't wanted to give her the satisfaction. The burning pain from the welts was so intense, and he was still hurting from the day before. Natsu tried to keep his breathing shallow, but it was too much, and he went under again.

Natsu smelled Gray's scent, and he opened his eyes warily, not wanting to risk being fooled again. Gray was cleaning his injuries gently with a wet cloth. He had a worried expression on his face as he looked at the condition of Natsu's body. Natsu saw Gray had some bruises as well, and his chest was bandaged.

"Gray?" Natsu asked weakly.

"Shh. Don't talk, idiot. You look like shit." Gray stopped what he was doing and ran his fingers through Natsu's hair, petting him until the dragon slayer calmed down. He continued tending to Natsu's injuries.

"Are you really here?"

Gray stopped his ministrations and gave Natsu a weak smile, but Natsu recognized the pity in it and felt humiliated. He wanted to protest, to shove Gray away and tell him he didn't need his help, but he was too happy to see him.

"I saw them take you and followed, but I wasn't able to take them all out," Gray looked down and away from Natsu, trying to hide his embarrassment at being bested, a gesture Natsu recognized all too well. "There were too many."

"Is anybody else coming?"

"I don't know, but they're bound to notice we're missing soon," Gray shrugged, "What do they want with you anyway?"

"I don't know, she just keeps asking who I fancy."

"Why would she care about that?"

Natsu shrugged helplessly.

"So just tell her, maybe they'll let us go."

"I have this feeling that something bad will happen if I do."

"Baka, look at yourself. How much longer do you think you can keep this up?"

He glared at Gray fiercely, "As long as I have to."

"I see your stubbornness is still intact," Gray rolled his eyes at him, and Natsu managed to chuckle at the familiar display.

"I'm gonna clean up your back, it looks pretty bad," He whistled as he got a good look at the damage, "I wish I had some salve to put on those welts."

"Can you get me down? My arms really hurt."

"Yeah, let me finish cleaning you up first."

Gray finished tending to Natsu's backside, gently unhooking the chains from the clips and laying him carefully on the ground. He lay down behind the dragon slayer and put his arm around him like he'd done the previous night.

Natsu was too exhausted to complain. Besides, considering how hellish his day had been, he couldn't be blamed for accepting the small comfort Gray was offering him. He fell asleep, surrounded by the soothing scent of his best friend.

'Natsu...Listen to me...you're in danger!...NATSU!'

Natsu was back in the darkness.

'Igneel?' Natsu wondered dreamily.

'Natsu, that woman is trying to steal your magic. You mustn't give her what she wants.'

'Where you? ...searched ...years...Igneel...'

'Nevermind that now. You must find a way to escape. Tiamat is the Dragon Queen of all the chromatic dragons. You're a red dragon, we're the strongest.'

'I'm a red dragon,' Natsu repeated.

'You have to stop her. If she gets your magic, she'll be able to defeat the others.'

'Igneel..help...hurts.'

'I'm so sorry, my son.'

'..don't...go'

xxx

Day 3

"Natsu, wake up."

Someone was shaking him gently, but Natsu refused to open his eyes. His entire body was riddled with pain, and he didn't want to wake up. The gentle shaking continued. He grumbled and opened his eyes reluctantly.

Gray, maybe Gray, was looking down at him with concern.

"Here, drink this."

Natsu was so thirsty. He hadn't been given anything to eat or drink since he'd been imprisoned. He drank the liquid Gray was offering him greedily. It tasted awful, but it felt good going down his throat.

"Thank you."

Gray nodded, watching Natsu intently, his head tilted to the side like he was considering something before embracing him and kissing his forehead.

Natsu peered at Gray, surprised by the gesture. It wasn't like the ice mage to show him any kind of physical affection. Natsu was struggling to make sense of what was happening. His mind was so foggy, and his body was starting to feel like it was burning up. He worried his wounds were becoming infected.

"We're going to get out of this, together," Gray held his gaze as he told him firmly, "I promise."

Natsu nodded slowly, willing himself to believe there was a way out of this nightmare he'd been thrust into. Gray leaned in and captured Natsu's lips with his own.

Natsu tried to protest, but he was too far gone in body and spirit to fight something part of him wanted anyway. He responded weakly, and Gray soon pulled away, a wide smirk on his face.

"Gray?"

But Gray was gone, and Natsu lay on the floor of his cell wondering what was going to happen next. Despite his brave words the previous day, he didn't know how much more punishment his body could take if his regeneration were blocked.

Natsu was hungry, tired, and confused. The burning heat was muddling his thoughts. At this point, he wasn't sure if Gray was even real or if he'd made him up as a source of comfort.

Like Igneel's voice, that he kept hearing when he was out of it. Natsu was glad that at least Igneel wasn't around to witness his weakness.

A woman he didn't recognize came into the room. She had long black hair and black eyes. Her scent was strong and intimidating, filling him with instinctual deference.

She wore a dark robe, and when she turned, Natsu noticed it had a familiar symbol on it. Five dragon heads joined by the neck to form a circle, each dragon a different color.

Natsu saw the red dragon head on the cloak and found himself muttering uncertainly, "I'm a red dragon."

"I see our friend came out to play after all," Tiamat marveled,

"Did he tell you why this is happening to you?" She asked curiously, grabbing Natsu's chains and pulling him up forcefully, once again placing them in the different clips.

"Well then, let me tell you a story," As she talked she tested the chains, "A long time ago, there was a beautiful Dragon Queen named Tiamat, and she ruled over all of the chromatic dragons. In her dragon form, she had five heads, each capable of a different type of magic - fire, light, shadow, lightning, and poison."

Natsu listened to the woman as she told her story, doing his best to pay attention, but his thoughts were still disjointed.

"Tiamat was a strong warrior, and she demanded strength in all of her subjects. They loved her and did whatever she asked of them without question."

Tiamat glanced at Natsu, making sure she had his attention. When she was satisfied, she continued her tale.

"One day she met a fierce red dragon who was different from the others, and she fell in love with him. He didn't always do what she asked, and to her surprise, she found that rousing. He spoke his mind to her even when he knew she wouldn't agree.

Their most significant disagreement had to do with humans.

Tiamat thought of humans as violent creatures, only useful as a food source or to enrich her hoard, but the red dragon saw something more in them. He felt humans were resourceful and noble, and his fondest wish was for dragons and humans to coexist peacefully.

Even knowing this, Tiamat's love for the red dragon was so strong that she attempted to make him her mate, but he rejected her. She loved him so much though that she was willing to forgive him the slight, but then he did the worst thing that a dragon can do.

He taught humans dragon magic to help them destroy us and encouraged other dragons who shared his beliefs to do the same. He betrayed her and became a traitor to all of dragon kind.

As more and more of her beloved dragons were killed by humans, she grew to hate the red dragon as much as she had once loved him. In the end, the humans were able to use their magic to banish her, and she disappeared from this world, until now.

I am Tiamat, and that red dragon was none other than your father, Igneel."

"Where's Igneel? Did you do something to him? I'll kill you!" Natsu was furious, his father's name had penetrated through his muddled senses as nothing else could.

"Were you not listening, you simpleton? I did nothing to him," Tiamat glanced at him with growing amusement, curious as to what exactly he thought he could do to her in his current position.

"Tell me, son of Igneel, have you experienced your first heat yet?"

"What?" Natsu had no idea what she was talking about.

"Don't tell me Igneel didn't teach you about mating," Tiamat feigned surprise, "Well, no matter you're about to find out."

"It's incredible the things that humans have in books. They are indeed resourceful creatures, Igneel was right about that.

To save dragons from dying out, they attempted to create a solution that could induce a heat. You drank that very solution a few hours ago," Tiamat leered at the young dragonslayer triumphantly, "Can you feel the heat coursing through your body?"

Natsu could only stare at her, he certainly could feel the heat, and it was very uncomfortable. He could sense other changes going on in his body as well, making him feel sensations he wasn't accustomed to.

"Yes, I see you can," Tiamat noticed the flush in his skin, smelled the other telltale signs of arousal as the pheromones needed to attract a mate altered his scent and wafted towards her. She laughed out loud.

"It seems you're a submissive dragon, I suppose that explains your choice of mate," Tiamat continued to talk, taking advantage of his innocence and doing her best to confuse him, "I can't judge you, he _is_ rather attractive."

"I wonder, does he return your love?" Tiamat mused, "Not that it'll make any difference as I intend to make you my mate."

"You and I are going to be bound together," Tiamat peered at the boy standing before her battered and bruised and so very young, and for a moment she was filled with pity. He was but a pawn in a conflict that had begun long before he was born.

She disregarded the feeling, it had no place here. Not when she was so close to getting her revenge. It had been her weakness for Igneel that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

She instantly recognized that the appearance of pity, however, could help move things along. Might make the boy submit willingly, which was something she needed to get what she wanted from him.

"However, in consideration of the love I once held for your father, this one time, I will let you have your love," Tiamat offered magnanimously.

"W-what?" Natsu was still very confused, not entirely sure what was happening. His body was acting strangely, and his head was swimming with all the things Tiamat had said about Igneel and the dragons.

The Dragon Queen transformed herself into Gray Fullbuster.

"Hey, Flame Brain," Gray smirked at Natsu.

"Do you prefer this form?" Tiamat asked conversationally.

Natsu looked at Gray in horror. He was such a fool, he'd been so distraught he'd fallen into her trap.

"Change back," Natsu pleaded, every other thought in his mind forgotten as panic exploded within him.

Gray chuckled. "What's the matter, lover, aren't you happy to see me?"

He moved closer to Natsu, "Just relax, I'll do all the work this time."

Gray unbuttoned his pants, lowering his zipper and letting them fall to the floor. His boxers soon followed. Natsu had seen Gray naked enough times to know that this was a perfect replica of his friend down to the scars.

Except he'd never seen Gray aroused. He had an impressive length, and Natsu tensed as he finally understood what was happening. Gray meant to put that inside of him. No dammit, not Gray this was Tiamat. This was not Gray. Gray would never do this to him.

"If you cooperate, I promise I will make this as pleasant for you as possible. It's your first time after all," Tiamat said in Gray's voice.

"If you fight me, Gray will go away, and you'll be forced to mate with one of my avatars," Tiamat briefly turned into a male like being with five dragon heads before turning back into Gray.

"Your choice, dragon slayer."

Gray moved closer to him and put his arms around Natsu's waist, kissing him gently. Natsu was ashamed to feel his body betraying him and responding to the ice mage's closeness.

He didn't want this, he just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

Gray felt Natsu's cock harden from just his kiss, and he smirked. He grabbed Natsu roughly and started jerking his hand up and down his length in confident strokes.

Gray kissed him again, nibbling on Natsu's bottom lip until the dragon slayer parted his lips for him. Gray's tongue entered Natsu's mouth exploring all the crevices in the warm space, coaxing him to respond. Tears fell silently from Natsu's eyes amidst the small moans of pleasure that were escaping his throat.

Gray released the chains from the clips and lay Natsu's limp body down on the ground. He immediately straddled him and started running his fingers gently over Natsu's body, trailing some of his wounds and kissing them. Natsu's defenses continued to fall as the solution burned through his body, blurring his sense of reality and increasing his need for physical release.

"Please, I don't want this," Natsu begged Gray, willing him to listen.

"I'll make you feel so good," Gray whispered into his ear, "I love you, Natsu."

He rubbed their erections together, reveling in the relief that the friction brought and the noises coming from his lover. Both of them were leaking at this point, and he covered his fingers in it. He moved his mouth to Natsu's nipples, licking and gently biting the hardened nubs.

Gray began to prepare the fire mage's entrance, while Natsu was distracted by the new sensation. He slipped a finger in, and Natsu immediately tensed and cried out.

"Shh, you have to relax, or it's going to hurt. Trust me."

Natsu glared at him incredulously. Trust me? You've got to be kidding. Why was this happening to him? He wanted to fight but remembered the five-headed dragon and shuddered. He tried to make himself relax but remembered what was about to happen and couldn't.

Gray continued pushing a finger in and out of him, adding another and moving them both around, stretching the space to better accommodate himself. He added a third finger.

When Gray felt Natsu was as ready as possible, he removed his fingers and kissed him deeply. He positioned himself in front of the fire mage's entrance, and after giving his cock a few jerks, he lined himself up and pushed himself inside.

Gray stopped briefly, letting Natsu adjust to what was happening. He continued to push himself inside, taking his time until he was all the way in. Pausing for a minute, Gray grabbed Natsu's hands in his own. He moved in and out, slowly at first.

"I love you, Natsu," Gray whispered softly, "Don't you love me?"

Natsu didn't answer. How could he accept the words when he knew they weren't real?

Suddenly, Gray spoke in Tiamat's voice, "I suggest you let yourself enjoy the fantasy because I can assure you, this will never happen again."

Natsu closed his eyes tightly and came to a sudden decision. If this were the only time he'd ever be with the man he'd secretly loved for years, he'd let himself enjoy it.

Even if he wasn't the real one. It's not like Natsu had much choice, he was now very much into his heat.

"I love you, Gray," Natsu confessed, if only to himself, "I have for a long time now."

Gray started moving more quickly at the words, and Natsu's moans became louder. Gray smiled and started jerking him off, keeping the same rhythm between his hand and his hips. They were both close now. Their mating taking on a sense of urgency.

Now that Natsu knew that Gray would go away after they were done, he didn't want it to be over. He tried to cling to Gray for as long as possible before his real nightmare began.

For his part, Gray did his best to make the experience as pleasant for Natsu as possible. They came within seconds of each other, and Gray collapsed on top of him. At his climax, Natsu's whole body covered itself in flames and Gray absorbed all of them.

Natsu passed out, and Gray gave him one last kiss before getting up and transforming back into Tiamat's cloaked figure.

Tiamat felt the new power coursing through her body. The amount of magic she'd absorbed from the Fire Dragon Slayer was tremendous. She grinned triumphantly in the knowledge that she now possessed Igneel's power. She left the room quickly.

She had a fire to start, a cult to terminate, and a fire mage to finish breaking.

xxx

Natsu wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he could now add his ass to his growing list of aches and pains. He hadn't encountered Igneel in the darkness this time, so either the dragon was disgusted with him, or he'd imagined him all along. He remembered Gray absorbing his fire, and he guessed that meant that Tiamat had taken his magic.

Natsu felt completely useless. At no point in any of this had he had a chance to fight. No one ever came to help him, and he had no idea where he was.

He was pretty sure the other dragon slayers were in danger, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He'd never been more frustrated in his life. He'd heard screams outside of his prison for a while now but didn't know what was happening.

Gray came into the room, fully dressed.

"What's going on outside?" Natsu asked, trying to ignore the flutter in his heart that still hoped this was the real one.

Gray stared down at Natsu coldly, all traces of his earlier tenderness gone. He grabbed his chains and attached them to the clips on the ceiling and floor.

He started kicking Natsu in the chest and stomach. Over and over until he was retching. He felt his ribs crack, and he thought one might have pierced his lung. He was having trouble breathing, and his stab wound started bleeding again. His body felt numb, and he was shivering from the loss of blood.

"Stop," Natsu called out weakly.

"You're so pathetic and weak," Gray snarled. His face contorted in rage. He punched Natsu's head, and jaw until the fire mage's vision began to blur.

"You're an embarrassment to Fairy Tail," Gray continued to beat Natsu within an inch of his life, kicking and punching mercilessly any part of his body he could get a hold of.

"I could never love someone like you. You disgust me," Those were the last words Natsu heard before the world faded to black around him, while Gray continued to abuse his battered body.


	8. Safe

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Note: Revised and Edited June 11, 2019

Chapter 7: Safe

Natsu woke up in more pain than he could ever remember having experienced before, and considering all the stupid shit he regularly did, that was saying something. It felt like every cell in his body was screaming in agony.

He opened his eyes and looked around, wondering what would be in store for him that day. It took him a moment to realize he was no longer bound and that he was laying on a bed. He looked at the room around him and felt it seemed familiar, like he'd been here many times before. A sense of dread flooded him as he saw an elderly woman with red eyes and pink hair glaring down at him.

"Finally decided to get up?" She growled at him, although the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

Natsu gulped, instantly recognizing Porlyusica, the guild's healer. He searched the room, looking for help, and his eyes fell on Wendy, who was fast asleep in the bed next to his.

"Is she okay?" He asked the healer, his voice sounding scratchy to his ears. He was parched, and when Porlyusica offered him some water through a straw, he accepted gratefully.

"She's fine, worry about yourself, idiot." To his surprise, Porlyusica smiled down at the little girl, rearranging the locks of hair that had moved in her sleep away from her face. "She wore herself out trying to heal you. Welcome to the world of the living, I was getting ready to give up on you. You were out for several days."

Natsu nodded carefully. Over the years, he'd learned to say as little as possible around the healer, never knowing what would set her off on one of her rants.

'How did I get here?' He wondered. He was definitely in the guild's infirmary. He reached for his magic, but it felt very weak.

"My magic?" He asked with concern.

"It's still there, it'll just take a while to replenish."

Natsu was relieved, he couldn't imagine a life without magic. He had no idea how he'd gotten back to the guild, but he had a feeling Tiamat was not done with him and that worried him.

The healer, not one for small talk, got to work checking him over now that he was awake. The door of the infirmary opened, and the rest of the dragon slayers walked inside.

Natsu looked at them but quickly looked away, not ready to face anyone yet. He certainly was in no mood to be mocked by the other slayers for his weakness.

They all began talking at once.

"It's about freaking time, Salamander. Hell of a time for a nap."

"What's our plan? How are we going to take this bitch down."

"I'm impressed, you really are a tough bastard, for someone so pathetic."

"It's good to have you back. How are you feeling?"

Natsu looked at them in surprise. They weren't mocking him? They actually sounded kind of happy to see him, and they looked worried. That was...unexpected. He thought of the other dragon slayers as his family, but he hadn't expected them to act the same way towards him.

"It hurts like hell, but I think I'll be okay." He told them, the beginnings of a smile flashing across his face as he began to accept that he was back home.

"I heard she took your magic, she took mine too." Natsu stared at Sting in surprise, but before he had a chance to ask what had happened to him Sting blurted out, "So I just have to know who did you fuck? Was it Lucy? She's so hot! I got Minerva."

Natsu's face flushed in embarrassment as he realized that they all knew what was needed for Tiamat to take his magic. If they knew, that meant others did as well.

Great, Cana probably already had a betting pool going downstairs, and he was a horrible liar. His secret would be out before the end of the day, and then Gray would find out it had been him. He couldn't have that happen.

Rogue slapped the back of Sting's head. "Idiot! Did you have to bring that up right away?"

Gajeel snickered knowing full well who would have been involved in that particular scenario. Natsu glared at him, daring him to say something.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Natsu said as he painfully repositioned himself on the bed, facing away from them and peering over at Wendy. The dragon slayers commotion had woken her up, and although she looked at him with concern, her smile felt like a ray of sunshine. His movement earned him another glare from Porlyusica.

Natsu couldn't help but think of the last words that fake Gray had said to him as he was beating him.

 _I could never love someone like you. You disgust me._

He tried to remind himself that it hadn't been real, but he couldn't stop the pain in his heart at the venom behind those words. Even though he knew it wasn't the real Gray saying them, it may as well have been.

Natsu had resigned himself a long time ago to the reality that Gray didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards him. Honestly, most of the time, that was fine with him. Natsu accepted it and appreciated the friendship they _did_ have.

Being able to stand with Gray in battle as an equal and to protect him from harm was usually enough to quiet his draconic impulses. Knowing that Gray was ready to do the same for him, even if only platonically, made him feel loved. It wasn't what Natsu would prefer, but he'd learned long ago to take what he could get.

But now, after mating with the fake one, he had images and feelings that he couldn't easily forget or ignore and it hurt.

To make matters worse, someone other than his destined mate had laid a claim on him, and he didn't know if he would be able to get out of it.

He was heartbroken about that. He didn't want to be mated to a dragon goddess that hated his guts. Nor did he want to think about that five-headed avatar he'd be forced to mate with in the future or about any of the other things she might do to torture him. He felt an ache for Gray that was stronger than any he'd ever felt before, and with a start, he realized that had been her plan all along. Her cruelty shocked him.

Igneel had never really talked to him about mates before he disappeared, but maybe these guys knew something that could be helpful. Otherwise, his only hope was to somehow defeat her, and he had no idea how to go about beating a god. He'd had enough trouble going up against a God Slayer on Tenrou.

"What do you know about mates?" Natsu asked them, trying to keep himself from revealing the desperation he was feeling, "Tiamat had some...uhm... Igneel issues. She claimed me as her mate to get back at him."

The room quieted down as all the dragon slayers looked at him in horror.

"What do you mean she claimed you as her mate? What the hell happened?" Gajeel asked, his eyes burning with an intensity that surprised Natsu.

"Do you remember Zirconis telling us about the Dragon War?"

Gajeel nodded.

"Well apparently, Tiamat was in love with Igneel, but he was on the side of humans coexisting with dragons, while she most definitely wasn't. When she tried to get him to be her mate, he rejected her and then went on to teach humans dragon slaying magic and recruited others to do the same."

The dragon slayers remained quiet for once, listening intently to Natsu's words.

"As more dragons died, her love turned to hate, and she blamed him for all their deaths, but she was banished before she could punish him. When she realized I was connected to him..."

Natsu refused to meet any of their eyes, even though he could feel the weight of their gazes on him. "Let's just say she's really good at holding grudges."

"She tricked me into taking some potion she said was created by humans to help keep dragons from dying out. It was supposed to induce my first heat and then she claimed me as her mate in revenge. I couldn't fight her off." Natsu turned his attention to his arms, moving them slowly and ignoring the pangs of pain that shot up them, grateful to no longer be immobilized.

"Hold on, Zirconis said it was Acnologia that killed all the dragons," Gajeel reminded him, "Is that what she's trying to do, kill Acnologia?"

"She didn't talk about her plans at all," Natsu declared with frustration, "All she was interested in was finding out who I was into so she could take my magic."

"Did she bite you?" Sting asked urgently.

"No. Tiamat didn't do it herself, she shapeshifted into someone else, but they didn't bite me either. She also said something about me being a submissive type. What does that mean?"

"I've never heard of it. If Tiamat didn't bite you, I don't think you're really mates. Besides you're also supposed to bite her back. At least that's what Weisslogia told me."

"She was probably just messing with you, she tortured you for days. She probably knew she could scare you into believing anything she wanted. She was after your magic after all," Rogue pointed out.

"I was never scared. Hungry, confused and in pain but not scared," Natsu said with a bravado he didn't really feel.

Laxus snorted, "You keep telling yourself that, Natsu. I was there when you saw Fullbuster. You were definitely scared of him. He looked like a kicked puppy when you were begging us to keep him from hurting you."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I don't remember that."

"It was when you first woke up, at Lamia. He was sitting by your bed, holding your hand like the princess he is, and then you woke up and freaked out on him."

Gray was holding his hand? It made Natsu feel warm inside to know he cared that much.

 _Stop it! He was just worried about you because you're friends._

This was going to be a problem. Gray knew that someone looking like him had hurt him. That wasn't good. Natsu had never wanted Gray to find out he'd had any part in his torture.

Knowing that idiot, he was going to go on a guilt spree. He was probably already trying to figure out how to use Iced Shell on Tiamat. There was no way around it, he was going to have to talk to him. Which was precisely what he'd been trying to avoid.

 _Dammit!_

Natsu could see Gajeel watching him, trying to analyze his reaction for future teasing. He ignored him, wondering what else might have happened at Lamia Scale that he didn't remember.

"Hey! In my defense, the last thing I remember is him beating the crap out of me before I passed out," He protested, even as he tried to keep his mind from returning to that moment, and those words that had cut through him deeper than Erza's knives.

"Ice Block finally beat you?" Gajeel teased.

"He didn't beat me, I was chained and tied up in magic sealing cuffs, and it wasn't even really him. It does _not_ count!" Natsu huffed.

He was working himself up to challenging one of them to a fight, which was of course ridiculous, since he couldn't even stand when he looked around and saw the other dragon slayers snickering at him. They were only baiting him to try to get him back to his usual self. He calmed himself down and gave them all a dirty look.

"If you keep riling him up I'm going to kick all of you out of this room. He needs rest, not a brawl," Porlyusica growled at them.

She'd been listening to them talk, and she was a little concerned as to why the dragon goddess had induced Natsu's heat. It didn't seem necessary for what she was trying to do. What had the idiot said? She tried to remember his exact words, and then she blanched.

Could that woman really be that cruel? She looked over at Natsu's beaten body and got her answer. She was going to have to test him to find out for sure.

"How did I get here?" Natsu finally asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Vastia found you in a magic sealing stone inside of a burning building in Margaret Town, and he took you to Lamia Scale. Doranbolt teleported you here since you were in no shape to be transported normally. They also found a bunch of books and stuff on dragons and rituals in the building, we think it was the headquarters for that cult. They're in full research mode downstairs," Laxus informed him.

"We are your loyal dragon slayer guard, at your service," Sting grinned before attempting to bow formally. "Your team has been dying to see you, but Makarov won't let them near you 'cause he thinks they'll traumatize you. Especially after what happened when you saw Gray."

"Are they okay?" Natsu asked worriedly. He didn't like them feeling bad on his account. None of this was their fault.

"Makarov gives them daily reports on your condition. I don't know how much longer Erza's going to tolerate being sent away though, especially now that you're awake," Gajeel reported.

An image of Erza gleefully covering herself in his blood rose unbidden to his mind, and he felt sick to his stomach. Maybe Makarov was on to something. He didn't think he was ready to see Erza yet. His eyes started feeling heavier, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

Wendy looked at him nervously. "Do you want to talk about it, Natsu-san? We already know they used Erza, Lucy, and Gray to torture you."

"H-h-how?"

"Your injuries. It was pretty obvious."

"Oh, right."

Porlyusica finally noticed Natsu's tiredness and sent them away. "Someone go update Makarov. I only want to see one of you in here, besides Wendy, while he sleeps. Are we clear?"

Natsu was already fast asleep by the time she'd finished talking. She drew some of his blood for the test she would need to perform to confirm her suspicions. She really hoped she was wrong, this boy had already been through enough.

The dragon slayers looked at each other, and Gajeel sat down in a chair while the other dragon slayers left the infirmary grudgingly.

xxx

Makarov was sitting at a table in one of the guild's libraries surrounded by ancient texts. Other members of Fairy Tail were busy with the books as well. Levy, Freed, and Lucy were each immersed in a tome, occasionally stopping to take notes.

Laxus had brought the books back with him from Lamia Scale the day Natsu had been returned to Fairy Tail, and they had been working on them ever since. So far, they'd found a lot of exciting things about dragons but not much to help their current predicament.

Laxus entered the library and headed towards his grandfather. "Natsu woke up briefly."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the Lightning Dragon Slayer with relief. It had been several days since Natsu had woken up at Lamia Scale and they'd been worried when it hadn't happened again.

"How is he? Can we see him?" Lucy asked loudly. She hadn't been allowed to see her friend since she'd returned from the Magic Library, and the little information she'd gotten from Happy broke her heart. How could someone do that?

"He's exhausted, which is not surprising, but he talked for a little while. Gajeel is with him now," Laxus hedged. He was trying to decide how much he wanted to tell them about what Natsu had said.

Gray, Erza, and Lyon entered the library quickly, having heard Lucy in the quiet guild hall.

"Did he say anything about what Tiamat told Lyon?" Makarov asked immediately. As much as he'd thought about it, he was no closer to coming up with an answer that made any sense. That had been making him very nervous. What could the boy have that belonged to the goddess? She'd already taken his magic.

"Maybe? I'm not sure. He said that Tiamat had claimed him as her mate to punish Igneel," Laxus explained, " Maybe she was just referring to Natsu himself."

Makarov looked unconvinced. "Tell him I will be back for him and for what is mine. That's what she said. It sounds to me like there's something else."

"Claimed him as her mate?" Gray asked suddenly, "What does that mean? How did she even know about Igneel?"

Laxus looked at Gray and said, "Honestly, you're better off asking a First Gen, I'm not entirely sure about any of that stuff. He said Tiamat had tried to make Igneel her mate, but he refused her. Then they were on opposite sides of the Dragon War, and she blamed him for the dragons dying."

He thought about Natsu's words for a minute and added, "I think she tortured him so badly because she couldn't get to Igneel anymore. He did say something interesting, though. Apparently, she was banished from Earthland during the Dragon War."

Makarov considered this new information. "We'll need to research how it was done. At least now we know it's possible. I suppose that's more than we knew before."

Porlyusica entered the library looking angrier than anyone had ever seen her before. She headed straight for Makarov and waved a vial violently in his face. "This, this is what she's after!"

She immediately launched into an angry rant that quickly devolved into curse words, which no one had ever heard her use before. She looked and sounded terrifying.

They all looked at her in confusion and some apprehension. The dragon goddess was after a vial of greenish goo? All of them wanted to ask what it was, but only Lyon didn't know enough to stay quiet until she was ready. Lamia Scale's healer was a very different type of lady.

"She's after a vial of greenish goo?" Lyon asked Porlyusica stupidly, stopping her mid-rant.

Porlyusica glared at him, wishing she had brought her broom with her. "Are you stupid? He's pregnant! She's after the baby."

xxx

A/N: This is the second version of this chapter. I hated the first one, and I finally deleted the whole thing and started from scratch, which is why it took so long. Sorry about that. Thank you to SilverWhiteDragon and BanRedFox for your reviews. It's nice to hear what people have to say.


	9. Friend or Foe?

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Edited and Revised June 12, 2019

Chapter 8: Friend or Foe?

A chorus of "WHAT?!" erupted in the Fairy Tail guild library as everyone gaped at the healer in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I could have sworn you just said that Natsu was pregnant," Lyon repeated dumbly, trying to wrap his head around the healer's announcement.

"That's exactly what I said."

"But how could that be? He's a guy," Lucy pointed out, earning herself a glare from the healer.

"Natsu *did* mention she tricked him into taking some sort of solution to induce a dragon heat," Laxus said sheepishly, knowing full well he had purposefully left out that information.

Makarov studied his grandson thoughtfully, wondering what else Laxus was keeping from them.

"Yes, he did say that, but he also mentioned the solution was created to keep dragons from dying out," Porlyusica corrected him.

"That's what made me decide to test him in the first place. If I had the solution here, I could analyze it, but my guess is it was actually some kind of fertility drug for dragons. Tiamat used it to impregnate him, and now a demigod is growing inside of him."

"How long will the pregnancy last?" Makarov inquired before anyone could say something that would upset Porlyusica.

"How the hell am I supposed to know what the gestation period is for a magically induced pregnancy of a demigod in a male?" Porlyusica screeched at Makarov.

She was starting to get agitated again. She didn't like being around people on the best of days, and she was quickly reaching her limit. The idiotic looks on all of their faces were not helping.

"Have you told him already?" Makarov asked her quietly.

"Of course not! He's too weak, both physically and emotionally at the moment to handle any of this. I recommend you don't tell him until he's had a chance to deal with his torture and captivity. Hopefully, he won't have any symptoms for a while." Porlyusica left the library and made her way back to the infirmary.

The room remained silent as they all watched her disappear up the stairs. Moments later Sting and Rogue made their way into the library, matching horrified expressions etched across their faces.

"Did that crazy woman actually say that Natsu is pregnant?" Sting looked to Laxus for confirmation.

The sound of laughter erupted in the room. Everyone looked for the source of the sound. Gray was laughing, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he finally snapped from the stress he'd been under since Natsu had disappeared. He noticed everyone looking at him worriedly and wiped the tears from his eyes, still chuckling to himself.

"I'm sorry, I know it's not funny, but I mean, seriously, only Natsu could manage to go from rejecting Erza to getting himself knocked up by a god in three days. He's never even been on a date! It's completely ridiculous," Gray's voice changed from amusement to sadness as he realized the truth of his statement.

Natsu had never gotten the chance to enjoy physical closeness with anyone on his own terms. It really wasn't fair for this to happen to him. Erza put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a half-hug, but he shrugged her off.

"Let's keep this information between us for now. I don't want Natsu finding out by overhearing someone talking about it in the guild," Makarov instructed the small group in the library. "We will wait until he is doing better to tell him," The Fairy Tail master viewed Gray with concern, not quite sure what to do for him.

"Sting, go upstairs and have Porlyusica test you," Makarov ordered.

"What? No, that's ridiculous. I didn't drink anything when I was with her, and I feel fine."

Makarov glanced at Rogue Cheney, who nodded and dragged the protesting master of Sabertooth up to the infirmary. He then took Laxus upstairs to his office for a private talk.

Erza, Gray, and Lyon left the researchers and made their way back to the main guild room. They sat at a table near the back, quietly absorbing the shocking news they had just received when the large wooden doors of the guild entrance opened.

They watched curiously as two men entered the hall. The men looked around the guild nervously, as if they were looking for someone. They were wearing cloaks with some kind of symbol on the back but were too far away for them to make it out.

Mira hurried over to welcome them, and when the men turned to greet her, they were able to see the symbol. Five differently colored dragon heads joined at the neck to make a circle.

Erza reacted first. She requipped a sword into her hand and hurried towards the two men, violence implied in every step. Gray got up to follow her but stopped for a minute, looking up towards the infirmary.

"Go tell the dragon slayers to stay out of sight," Gray ordered Lyon quietly but urgently. The Lamia Scale mage quickly got up and hurried upstairs.

Gray walked quickly to stand next to Erza, his face impassive, but his stance leaving no doubt he was ready for battle.

xxx

A giant five headed dragon flew above the clouds. Now that Tiamat had both the white and red dragon's powers, she was capable of holding her dragon form for more extended periods.

It had been several days since she'd set fire to the building where she had been held captive, but Tiamat still felt satisfaction from the surprised looks on the cultists' faces. Looks that had quickly turned to terror when they realized she was outside the magic sealing stone where they had kept her prisoner.

She could still hear their agonized screams as they burned from her fire. They were melodious, like music to her ears. She wasn't sure if she'd gotten them all, but she was confident they would not be coming for her anytime soon. Tiamat was free.

'Fools,' she thought, annoyed by their hubris, 'They really thought they could contain me with that pathetic binding spell.'

She had spent the time since following a faint dragon scent that she hoped would lead her to the black dragon Acnologia. A chromatic dragon of that caliber would be an excellent ally to have.

Tiamat was determined to restore dragons to their former glory and undo all the tragedy that Igneel and his friends had caused. Once that happened, the humans were going to pay for their insolence. She would bring about a new age of dragons, and this time, there wouldn't be enough dragon slayers to stop her.

Tiamat continued to follow the trail over a range of mountains. She was hungry and had begun to tire, but an enticing smell caught her attention, and she dove towards it.

She followed it to a patch of grass where a group of goats was calmly grazing. After making quick work of them, she looked for a cave to shelter her while she rested.

Tiamat flew higher until she saw a cave large enough to suit her purposes. She walked inside and sniffed to make sure she was alone. That faint dragon smell was present here, but it was old. Once satisfied, she changed back to her Dark Lady avatar, lay down and went to sleep content and with a full belly. She woke to a rustling noise outside and moved cautiously to seek it out.

Even though it was still mostly dark out, she could detect a man standing outside the cave. He was muscular with spiky, long, dark blue hair. Blue markings covered his body. He looked at her haughtily, but there was no hiding the air of danger that surrounded him, and even though he appeared unarmed, she was instantly wary.

"What are you doing in my cave?" he asked her angrily.

"I sought shelter, but I will be happy to be on my way," Tiamat sniffed the air carefully, trying to determine what it was about this man that had her on edge.

The man narrowed his eyes at her when he noticed what she was doing and began to do the same. He looked surprised at whatever he found and immediately got into a battle stance.

"Who are you? Are you the one who has been following me?"

She stiffened as she finally recognized the scent she had been following pouring off this man. How could that be? She changed into her dragon form and took to the air. She hovered above him.

"I am Tiamat, Dragon Goddess and Queen of the Chromatic Dragons. I am looking for the black dragon they call Acnologia. Why do you smell like him, are you his dragon slayer?"

Acnologia quickly changed into his dragon form and took to the sky, leaving room between them for the moment. He roared with laughter.

"Indeed I am, Your Highness," he said mockingly, "Did you think I was a black dragon? All the dragons are dead. I made sure of that over four hundred years ago. All except for you, I thought you had been banished during the War."

He was getting excited at the idea of fighting a proper dragon, a goddess no less. It had been a long time since he'd had a truly good fight. One where the outcome was not decided before the battle began.

"YOU, A LOWLY HUMAN, KILLED MY PRECIOUS DRAGONS?" Tiamat roared.

Her voice echoed through the mountains, sounding like a judgment from the heavens themselves. She was furious, and her heart instantly filled with hatred. She'd been looking to make an alliance with the black dragon, but now, now she just wanted to destroy him. Tear him limb from limb with her claws and fangs and blast him with all her magic. But that would be mercy after what he'd done, so she would heal him so she could do it over and over until he begged her for death.

She flew at him, her red head already roaring dragon fire at Acnologia, hotter than any mere dragon slayer could manage. Her white head simultaneously attacking with holy light. Her other three heads were divided between hurling insults at the black dragon and encouraging the fighting heads on in their assault.

Acnologia quickly dodged her attacks and responded with his own dragon roar. Tiamat flew out of the way of most of it, but she'd already been tired before she got to the cave and knew she wouldn't be able to fight for very long.

She could already see she was going to require more power than what she currently had to be able to defeat him. She needed to get away so she could get the rest of her magic from the last three dragon slayers. Only then would she be able to destroy him. She concentrated all of her remaining magic into one spell and teleported herself away from Acnologia.

She was sure the dragons slayers were already huddled in Magnolia with Fairy Tail, so she decided to head to Era. The poison dragon slayer was isolated and should make for an easy target.


	10. Magic Must Be Given Freely

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Edited and Revised June 15, 2019

Chapter 9: Magic Must Be Given Freely

The two men observed Erza and Gray nervously, even as Mira gave them a welcoming smile.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, how can we help you?" Mira greeted them kindly, not seeming to realize who had just entered their guild. She glanced over at Erza, confused by her behavior.

"We'd like to speak to your Master. My name is Connor, I am the Master of the Penta Dragons," The older of the two men spoke, and gesturing towards the other man added, " My companion's name is Justin."

Justin bowed briefly, but his eyes never strayed from Erza and Gray.

"We know who you people are," Gray growled at the visitors, "You have a lot of nerve coming here." He could barely contain his rage. These people were responsible for the condition Natsu was in, and that was not something he was willing to ignore.

"GRAY! These men are our guests, you will either calm down or leave," A voice that could only belong to Makarov came from the second floor. Although he sounded friendly enough, he must have had the same idea as Gray because Laxus was nowhere in sight. He made his way downstairs to meet their visitors.

"But Gramps-," Gray protested, but Makarov cut him off with one scowl.

Erza took the hint and grudgingly sent her sword away.

She looked over at Gray worriedly, willing him to calm down as well. He'd been a mess ever since Natsu had disappeared. She knew exactly how he felt. Hell, she was itching for payback just as much as he was, but she understood it was best to let their Master handle it.

Gray glared at Makarov but began clenching and unclenching his hands in an attempt to keep himself under control. He very much wanted to hear what this man had to say.

"Please forgive my children, they are usually friendlier than this," Makarov remarked evenly, holding out his hand for a handshake. "I am Master Makarov. How can I help you?"

"It's alright. I wouldn't be too fond of me if I were him either," Connor replied, unconsciously moving closer to Justin as he acknowledged the barely contained rage in Gray's eyes.

"I am Connor," The Penta Dragons Master bowed his head in deference and gave Makarov his most charming smile before shaking his hand firmly.

He regarded the short man that stood in front of him. Connor knew the man was a powerful wizard, one of the Ten Wizard Saints of Fiore, but it was hard to reconcile that fact with the seemingly harmless old man that faced him.

"I want you to know that I had nothing to do with what happened to your dragon slayer, none of us did," Connor began, even though he knew this was a half-truth at best. He may not have known what Tiamat was up to, but he hadn't exactly gone out of his way to find out either, and it had been his idea to use the dragon slayers in the first place.

"It was never part of our plan for any of the dragon slayers to be hurt," Connor looked at Makarov apologetically. "Is he okay? Justin and I were barely able to get out of the building."

"What was this plan exactly?" Erza asked with as much diplomacy as she could muster. She hadn't missed that Connor had just admitted to leaving Natsu defenseless in a burning building.

Connor was about to speak when Makarov stopped him. "Hold on, let's go down to the library. There are some people there who should listen to this."

Makarov led the visitors to the guild's library where Levy, Freed, and Lucy were looking through the recovered books. Mira followed them, but Erza stayed behind wanting to check on Gray before they joined the others.

Erza grabbed Gray by the arm, "Are you going to be okay?"

Gray shrugged her off once again, "I'm fine."

Erza let him go without a fuss, but she had a feeling their definitions of fine were very different. She glanced up at the infirmary before pursing her lips and entering the guild's library.

"Everyone, I need your attention," Makarov announced as he entered, causing the three researchers to look up at him with interest. "This man is the Master of the cult that summoned Tiamat, I'd like you to listen to what he has to say."

Lucy, Levy, and Freed nodded, switching their attention to Master Connor. Levy offered Connor a small smile, while Freed regarded the man warily. Lucy didn't seem to know how to feel, so she peered at Erza's expression instead.

Once they were all sitting comfortably in one of the long tables, Makarov eyed the Penta Dragon's Master expectantly.

Connor cleared his throat nervously, he had no idea how this was going to go. He needed Fairy Tail's help to stop Tiamat, but he couldn't get a read on these people.

Justin grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it once before letting go. Connor smiled at him gratefully. He recited a quick prayer in his mind for luck and began.

"We summoned Tiamat from the Nine Hells because we were convinced she was the only one strong enough to defeat Acnologia. We were aware she wasn't exactly trustworthy, so we spent years doing research and planning our next move. We wanted to make sure we could keep her under our control before we even considered summoning her, so we used all the information we could find on her to devise elaborate binding rituals. "

Freed interrupted, making no attempt to mask his scorn, "Did you really think you'd be able to bind a God to do your bidding? There is no magic capable of doing that."

Connor frowned, there was nothing he could really say. The green haired man was right, he knew that now, but at the time he'd been willing to believe plenty of things in the interest of saving their world.

"At least he tried to do something," Justin protested.

"Yeah, and look at what that got us," Gray growled in response.

"That's enough!" Makarov snapped, he looked at each of his brats in turn, his expression communicating he expected them to keep their emotions in check. When he was satisfied they'd understood he nodded at the Penta Dragons Master to continue.

"When she arrived on Earthland, her magic would be dormant. In her dragon form, she has five heads, much like the symbol on our cloaks. To restore the magic in each of those heads, she would need to absorb the power from a matching dragon."

"She couldn't force the magic out of them, it would have to be given freely. In the past, when dragons were abundant, she would have found five chromatic dragons to bed, but that wasn't possible in our time, so we set about identifying matching dragon slayers. The Grand Magic Games allowed us to find four of them and so we set our plan in motion."

"Wait. Are you saying that if Tiamat raped the dragon slayers, she wouldn't be able to get their magic?" Freed interrupted Connor.

"That is correct, the magic can't be taken by force. It must be given freely. That is why we needed to identify someone the dragon slayer would respond to so she could shapeshift into them."

Gray's mind was racing, Lyon had said the healer knew that Natsu had been raped. He was pretty sure that meant she'd found evidence of anal sex which Erza or Lucy would not have been able to do. The fact the Natsu was now pregnant supported that argument for the same reason.

But If the magic had to be given freely that changed everything. Did that mean Natsu willingly had sex with someone he thought was him?

That didn't make sense though, Natsu didn't think of him that way, he never had, and Gray would know. Over the years he'd waited for a signal from the dragon slayer that never came. He'd once even flirted clumsily with Juvia to see if he got a reaction, to no avail. To his frustration, Natsu's only response had been a small smile that seemed to encourage his friend to 'Go for it.'

Sting? Tiamat had been with Sting, it would have been easy for her to change into him. That made more sense. The two dragon slayers had a natural closeness that he sometimes envied when compared to their constant rivalry.

Wait a minute, what was he even thinking? Natsu had been forced to take something that made the rather innocent dragon slayer agree to have sex in the first place. Gray was pretty sure consent was hazy at best in this scenario.

A few days ago, he'd prayed that he'd not been the one that did this. So why was he now wishing that Natsu would have chosen fake him over fake Sting?

He felt someone squeezing his hand gently and looked to find Lucy giving him a worried look. He quickly looked away and tried to focus on what was being said.

Makarov's face was stern as he asked, "Which dragon slayers were you interested in?"

Connor knew if he wanted this man's help, he needed to be honest with him. He took a deep breath and said, "Natsu and Laxus from Fairy Tail, Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth and Cobra from Oracion Seis."

He looked at Makarov intently, trying to gauge his reaction, but the man's face gave nothing away.

"All of the mages we sent to observe the dragon slayers could teleport, but only Natsu and Laxus seemed to be able to spot them consistently, which made it difficult for us to learn much about them."

Connor pointed at his companion, "Justin here is one of our best, and he wasn't able to find out anything about Natsu that wasn't already public knowledge, even after trailing him for weeks."

Even though they had suspected, Makarov was enraged at receiving confirmation that his mages had indeed been surveyed. He would never forgive himself for not taking Laxus and Natsu's reports more seriously. He was now determined to do everything in his power to help Natsu recover from this, he owed him that much.

Connor felt a surge in magic energy emanating from Makarov and paused, not sure what was happening. When Makarov nodded at him, he continued his story valiantly.

"Red dragons are the strongest of the chromatic dragons, and Tiamat was adamant about getting Natsu's magic early on. But with no useful information on him, Tiamat and I were forced to shadow his team on a mission. She can shapeshift into anyone, but to fool the dragon slayers senses she needed to touch the subject to be able to absorb their scent."

Lucy felt nauseated by everything she'd heard but learning their team had been so close to Tiamat without even being aware of it was almost more than she could handle. She forced herself to continue listening, noticing the abject fury that was visible on both Gray and Erza's faces.

"Tiamat doesn't leave anything to chance," Connor tried to avoid the glares from Natsu's teammates, he could already tell they were going to be a problem, not that he could blame them. "Even though she was sure that your Erza Scarlet would be the one she needed to seduce Natsu, she made sure to absorb the scent of every one of his teammates."

Erza gripped the arm of her chair so hard as she tried to contain her temper that she managed to shatter it, resulting in a violent shower of splinters. Connor stared at her nervously.

Erza bowed her head, keeping her face hidden for a few minutes. Gray got another chair, and the two had a whispered conversation until Makarov cleared his throat.

"I apologize," Erza said, "Please continue."

"Are you sure they should be here?" Connor asked Makarov.

"They'll be fine," Makarov assured him.

Connor very much doubted that but continued anyway. "Tiamat waited for a chance to make her move on Natsu, but he was never alone. When the moment came, she failed in her attempt to seduce him and fearing she wouldn't get another chance she knocked him out with her newly awakened light magic."

Connor stopped to consider how he wanted to frame the rest of the story, but Justin caught his gaze and shook his head. Connor sighed, but he knew his friend was right, no matter how much he wished to protect him, there could be no concealing of his actions.

"Justin teleported both of them to our headquarters in Margaret Town and placed him in a magic sealing stone. I asked her to send him back, but she refused. She claimed she had plans for him, but she didn't elaborate."

The faces of the mages were becoming more hostile with every new bit of information, Connor noticed several of the mages were glaring at Justin, and he hoped that Makarov could guarantee the boy's safety.

"If you thought she was under your control, why didn't you push the issue?" Freed accused, "You could have had Justin teleport Natsu back."

"We still needed his magic," Connor reminded him.

"I don't understand," Levy spoke for the first time, "What were you expecting to happen?"

Connor had no answer to give the girl, so he answered the green haired man's question instead.

"I didn't push because by this point, I had begun to realize that maybe the binding rituals hadn't worked. Tiamat was an outstanding actress, I realize now she was never under our control. We kept her in another magic sealing stone but usually left her to her own devices once she was inside. It seems she was getting out and visiting Natsu in his. I honestly didn't know this was happening. It was my understanding that magic sealing stones rendered magical abilities ineffective."

"Three days!" Gray slammed his fist on the table, making Connor jump. "Three days you let this go on. It never occurred to you to check on him? Give him food or water? What the hell is wrong with you? And what now? You want us to help you fix your mistake?"

"GRAY?!" Makarov roared.

"Don't worry Gramps, I'm leaving!" Gray got up and left the library, slamming the door behind him.

This time Makarov didn't bother to apologize for him, as much as he didn't appreciate Gray's attitude the boy wasn't wrong.

Lucy and Erza made no attempt to hide their hostility, both openly glaring at Justin. He had followed Natsu around trying to get information on him, had teleported him when he was unconscious and then placed him at Tiamat's mercy in a magic sealing stone where he wouldn't be able to defend himself. Justin gulped as he felt the warmth of their stares on him.

Those glares were not lost on Makarov, he noticed Freed's reaction wasn't much better. He wasn't all that surprised, they'd been taught to consider each other as family, and one of their siblings had been hurt. He just hoped he was able to impress on them the importance of cooperating with these men. They had to stop Tiamat before she could come after Rogue, Laxus, and Cobra.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what else to say. We never expected any of this to happen, we just wanted to rid the world of Acnologia and his destruction," Connor said sadly.

"The end doesn't justify the means," Levy pointed out.

"No, young lady, it does not," Connor agreed levelly, "That's why we're here.

"I heard screams outside my office and came out only to find the building and everyone in it in flames. Tiamat was watching the people burn in front of her as they screamed in agony and she was laughing. It was horrible, if Justin hadn't teleported us out of the building when he did, we would never have survived."

Connor shuddered at the memory, he hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep since that day. The vision of Tiamat's sadistic glee as she watched his friends die painfully was one he would never be able to forget.

Tiamat wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. It was what prompted him to come to Fairy Tail and beg for their help if that's what it took. Connor needed to impress upon them how dangerous she really was, although he suspected whatever she'd done to Natsu had been enough to make them want to go after her.

"I have no doubt she will come after Cobra, Laxus, and Rogue to reclaim the last of her dormant magic. We must not allow that to happen. The stronger she gets, the more access she will have to her godly spells. I hope that somewhere in those books there might be a way to banish her once again."

"Godly spells, what are those?" Levy asked with interest, although there was a twinge of trepidation in her voice.

"They're like no magic on Earthland," Connor replied, "I've only read about it in books, I do know that awakening her fire magic has put her at almost half power. Any additional magic she absorbs will give her access to more powerful spells. Spells that will allow her to mold our world into whatever she wants."

"I know I have no right to ask this, but I need your help to send her back to the Nine Hells where she was banished to four hundred years ago," Connor beseeched Makarov.

Makarov already knew he would help them. A powerful creature like Tiamat could not be allowed to roam unchecked, especially not when she was preparing to come after them. They needed to stop her, not only to protect their own but to save humankind from her revenge.

But it wasn't going to be easy, judging from his brats reactions it would be challenging to get them to cooperate. Erza, Gray, and the dragon slayers in particular.

He'd have to exact promises from them to keep them from seeking retribution for Natsu, and he would need to guarantee some sort of protection for the teleportation mage.

He also wasn't about to make the mistake of trusting these people just because they were reaching out to them to correct their failure. He needed to make sure to keep them away from the dragon slayers and Natsu in particular. There was still the possibility that they were here at Tiamat's behest.

He thought long and hard about the best way to manage this situation before finally responding.

"These are my terms, and they're not up for negotiation. First, you are not to approach any of the dragon slayers unless they request your presence, and that includes Gajeel and Wendy."

Makarov could feel his brats eyes on him as he explained his terms but kept his own gaze on the Master of the Penta Dragons. He waited until he received a nod from him before continuing with his conditions.

"Second, you will share everything you know with our researchers and help them continue their research. That includes any future communications you might receive from Tiamat or any other surviving Penta Dragons member."

"That is fine, I have researched many of those books already so I should be able to help." Connor agreed readily.

"Third, you will stay here where we can keep an eye on you. We have rooms you can stay at in the guild," Makarov noticed the relief on both men's faces but wasn't sure how to interpret it.

"Fourth, you will not share any knowledge with outside parties unless I approve it, and you will not take it upon yourself to act without consulting me first."

"These are all fine, we will agree to any condition," Connor said impatiently.

"I'm not done," Makarov said firmly. "In return, we will protect you from the Magic Council, I will ensure that Justin will remain safe from any retribution, and we will help you take on Tiamat when the time comes. "

"We accept your terms," Connor shook Makarov's hand gratefully as the Fairy Tail Master questioned how the hell he was going to get his mages to agree to them as well.

xxx

Tiamat walked around Era trying to figure out the best way to get into the Magic Council's prison. She looked at people coming in and out, but they were all checked by the guards. She needed someone that they would easily overlook. Someone whose presence they wouldn't question. She supposed she could try to teleport in, but she assumed that they must have ways around that. It was a prison after all.

She wasted a second day watching the prison entrance from a nearby cafe, finally settling on the Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, a man by the name of Lahar. He visited the prison several times a day and was usually just waved through. She followed as he left the prison and overheard him telling a man with an X shaped scar on his face that they would be going to Hargeon the next day. She would put her plan in motion then.

The next morning Tiamat changed herself into Lahar. She didn't bother to look in a mirror, she already knew she would look just like him. She'd had this ability since the moment she came into being. Tiamat ran her mind through what she'd seen of the man so that she could imitate his behavior. That was the tricky part. She took a breath and headed for the entrance to the prison. As expected, Lahar was waved right through. Tiamat was inside.

She looked around and saw hundreds of magic sealing stones floating in the air. How was she supposed to find Cobra in that mess? She couldn't very well look into every cell without looking suspicious. She looked around to see if there was someone she could ask. There wasn't. Tiamat cautiously made her way to the first row of cells peering into the first one and quickly moving on to the next one.

She heard a cough behind her and turned to see a frog-like creature staring at her. "Captain Lahar, can I help you with something?"

"Ah yes, I am looking for a prisoner. His name is Cobra. The Council wishes to interrogate him."

"Cobra... Cobra...hmm... is he one of the guys from Oracion Seis?"

"Yes. That's the one."

The frog creature looked at some kind of screen, and a magic sealing stone came down from somewhere close to the ceiling. It approached Tiamat with some magical sealing cuffs. "Here, you will need to put these on him before you take him out of his cell for questioning."

Tiamat grabbed the cuffs and thanked the creature for their help. She approached Cobra's cell and went inside. She looked at the man sitting on the floor and threw the cuffs at him.

"Put these on."

Cobra smirked at Lahar but put them on. "Feeling kinky today, Lahar?", he asked in a sarcastic tone, making sure to put extra emphasis on the name. Tiamat looked at him in surprise.

"Who are you?" Cobra looked at Tiamat with interest, "You are definitely not Lahar."

Tiamat was at a loss for words. No one had ever figured her out this quickly before. She chose to stay quiet and pulled Cobra up from his sitting position on the floor.

"If you want me to go willingly, you need to tell me who you are. I made a promise to stay in here, and I don't intend on breaking it unless I have a good reason."

Tiamat looked at Cobra in frustration. Stupid, frustrating dragon slayers. Still, Cobra was a green dragon. Green dragons had always loved her the best. Maybe she could appeal to that love. She looked inside of him but saw no dragon laying dormant inside. He must be one of those second generation ones Connor had told her about.

"I am Tiamat," She said simply.

"The dragon goddess?"

Tiamat nodded. She looked at him to gauge his reaction to the information she'd just given him. He looked at her and laughed.

"Okay, that's at least worth a talk."

"I can get you out of here."

"As I told you, I made a promise. I could certainly go for a walk though."

Cobra allowed himself to be removed from his cell. He followed Lahar and let himself be led outside. Tiamat wasted no time and teleported them to the room where she had stayed the previous night.

Cobra sat on the bed and pointed to the cuffs that were around his wrists. "Do you mind taking these off for a bit?"

She thought about it, this dragon slayer was not like the others. He unsettled her.

"You're a goddess, it's not like I can do anything to you," He pointed out.

She grudgingly removed the cuffs.

"Thanks. Now, can you show me what you look like?"

She found herself obeying his requests. She transformed into her Dark Lady avatar and stood before him.

"Much better. Now, do you think you could order up some room service or something? The food at the prison is terrible, and you took me away before I could have breakfast," He looked at her expectantly.

Cobra's eyes lit up with amusement all of a sudden, and he said, "Hey! There's no need for that kind of language. I did ask nicely."

She looked at him flabbergasted. She had not said a word! She glared at him once she realized what he'd done.

"You can hear my thoughts, can't you?" She asked accusingly, already knowing the answer.

He grinned at her, looking very satisfied with himself.

"And yours are amazingly loud. I'm flattered, really I am, but there's only one being in this world that I'm interested in that way."

"Get out of my head!" Tiamat snarled.

"I can't control it, trust me, it's overwhelming. Being in prison is the only time I've experienced true silence in years."

His stomach chose that moment to rumble, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Fine. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Tiamat left the room and procured some food and drink for the two of them. She quickly returned to find Cobra in exactly the same position as when she'd left.

"Maybe the food will distract me from listening to the lies that you're concocting in your head right now," Cobra laughed at her annoyed expression.

Ugh, why did he have to look so smug? Tiamat did not like to be at a disadvantage. She had told the man she was a goddess shouldn't he at least be a little intimidated? She scowled as she saw him try to hide a smirk in his food.

"So, what do you need me for?" Cobra gazed at her with interest while continuing to stuff his face.

"Aren't you going to just grab it from my thoughts?" She said grouchily.

"Maybe I just like the sound of your voice." And he winked at her. The son of a bitch had the nerve to wink at her! She couldn't wait to take him back to prison.

"Fine. I don't have enough magic yet. I need to absorb your magic to awaken my green dragon magic."

He studied her with interest. "So you can defeat Acnologia?"

"Yes."

"Why did you just think about Dragneel?" He looked at her with distrust.

"He's more of a side project, nothing for you to worry about," She said as she forced her mind empty of anything to do with the Fire Dragon Slayer or Igneel.

"Whatever. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you aren't getting your hands on this body. I do have an idea that might work though."

He finished his meal and stood up. "Let's go somewhere isolated."

"You're going to give me your magic, just like that?" Tiamat looked at him incredulously. He really was a strange man.

Cobra just nodded at her. She grabbed his arm and teleported them to one of the secluded snow covered mountains in Era. She looked around to make sure they were alone and let go of his arm.

"Why are you doing this?" Tiamat asked him curiously.

"I went up against a dragon recently, and I wasn't able to defeat him. Hell, I was barely able to hurt him. I'm pretty sure that dragon was weaker than Acnologia. If my magic can help take him down while I rot in prison, I can live with that."

"So what is this idea of yours?"

"I want you to transform into your dragon form. I am going to channel all of my magic into one roar. Have your green dragon absorb it."

She looked at him as she ran the idea through her mind. It certainly wouldn't be as pleasurable, but it could work. She transformed into her dragon form and looked down at the dragon slayer. He looked a bit shaken. She grinned in triumph.

"Here goes." Cobra concentrated on his magic. He began collecting it inside his body, making sure to get every last drop. He took a breath and focused all of that power into his roar.

POISON DRAGON ROAR

Cobra aimed his roar at Tiamat's green head, and she absorbed it, making sure to gather all the magic inside her. He collapsed weakly on the ground, and she considered testing her new power on him but then thought better of it. He had willingly chosen to help her, even if she really couldn't understand why. Tiamat aimed her green magic elsewhere and was relieved to see it work.

"You look pretty cool as a dragon. I'm glad I got to see it," Cobra smiled at her. "Now let's get me back to prison before they suspect something."

She turned back into Lahar and placed the cuffs back on Cobra. She teleported them close to the prison and then walked them back inside.

They walked past the frog creature towards Cobra's cell. Lahar took his cuffs off and went to place him back inside. To her chagrin, Cobra chose that moment to kiss her cheek and whisper "Good luck, Tiamat."

Her cheeks flushed, and she did not miss his chuckle from inside his cell. The frog creature was looking at Lahar very strangely.

'Stupid dragon slayer,' She thought, confused by the sudden fondness she felt.

xxx

A/N: I made a lot of changes from the posted version to the first part. I hope you like it. The Cobra part remained mostly the same.


	11. First Steps

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Revised and edited June 26. 2019

Chapter 10: First Steps

Igneel stirred in the part of Natsu's consciousness where his soul resided. He looked around in confusion, trying to determine what had caused him to wake. There was something, it felt like another presence hovering near him. Not quite defined, but powerful and definitely there.

"Is someone there?" Igneel called out softly.

"I'm here," The presence answered in a voice that sounded like it belonged to a youngling.

"Who are you?" Igneel's curiosity was growing in leaps and bounds. How had this presence made its way inside of Natsu?

"I don't know. I wasn't, and then I was," It replied simply.

"How did you get here?" Natsu's body was certainly getting very crowded these days. Dragon seed, demon seed, dragon soul and now this, whatever it was.

"How did _you_?"

"I arrived here by casting a spell called Dragon Soul."

"Where _is_ here?" The voice asked, its voice trembling a bit.

"We're inside my son's body."

"Does he know we're here?"

"No, but we're safe," Igneel tried to make his voice sound comforting, but it was still a bit rough around the edges.

"That's good. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here. I'm waiting for something to grow."

"Grow?"

"Yes, my vessel is not yet ready to house me. Can I see what you look like?" The presence asked nervously. It was still weak, not much more than an idea or a dream at the moment.

Once it became aware, it had felt lonely and had gravitated towards the strong presence it had sensed sharing this space. It had been surprised to be detected at all.

Igneel projected an image of himself for the presence to see. He made sure to make it look non-threatening.

The presence didn't know why, but it felt warm and safe as it looked at the image of the red dragon. Was the dragon here to protect it until it was stronger?

"What about you?" Igneel asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I think I'll have more than one form. I'm still mostly potential, but I think I'll look something like this." The presence projected an image of a small pink haired boy with slightly droopy dark blue eyes.

Igneel gasped, excepting the eyes, its features looked very much like Natsu as a child. He thought he was beginning to understand who the presence was.

He held back his anger not wanting to scare it. Igneel was going to have to tread very carefully, but if it was still mostly potential, maybe he could help mold it into something unlike the goddess that had created it.

"What other form do you think you'll have?" Igneel asked with interest.

"I will also be a dragon, but my form is not yet certain. The one I see the most clearly has five heads, but I also see the possibility of one strong red one."

The presence had felt the dragon's distress to the form he had shown it, and it was curious about what it meant. "Why did you react like that when I showed you my form?"

Igneel thought about Natsu as a child. A small child with pink hair appeared before them. He had olive colored eyes that exuded warmth and a big smile that made the presence feel instantly happy. The child chased after a big red dragon.

"Who is that? He looks like me," The presence asked in wonder. It felt instantly drawn to this image, like the boy was somehow a part of it.

"That's my son Natsu when he was a child. I think he might be your father."

The presence absorbed that information greedily. It had a father!

"Does that mean you're my grandfather?"

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"Is my father strong?" It asked, and Igneel smiled at the concern he heard in the creature's voice.

"Your father is a dragon slayer. He flies with the dragons." Igneel said proudly. He showed it images of Natsu riding atop himself as well as Atlas Flame. He also showed it images of Natsu using his Fire Dragon Slayer magic.

The presence watched the pictures of its father fighting in awe. Strength, power. These were things it instinctively wanted. It thought it liked its father very much. If its grandfather had taught all these things to its father, maybe he would do the same for it.

"Can you make me strong like him?" It asked with hope.

"I will make you even stronger so that you can fight at his side some day," Igneel purred at him.

"I'd like that. Can I stay here with you, Grandfather?"

"You can stay for as long as you like, youngling."

Igneel had already decided he would train this being into a force for good. He refused to let Tiamat bring any more destruction to this world.

xxx

Natsu woke up to the sound of screams vibrating in his ears. His body was covered in sweat, and his heart was racing so fast it felt like it might burst out of his body any minute.

It took him a second to realize the screams were coming from _him_. He'd been trapped in a horrible nightmare. Tiamat had come to the guild to return him to his cell, and no one from Fairy Tail had been able to stop her.

Like some kind of sick parlor trick, she'd copied all of his Nakama and used them to torture and humiliate him. His friends had laughed and yelled out requests as to who Tiamat should be next.

Not a single one of them had tried to help him. Then Tiamat had morphed into that freaky five headed figure and roughly taken him over and over until he couldn't scream anymore and he wanted to die.

He shuddered, and the meager contents of his stomach tried to fight their way back up his digestive system. He looked around the room and tried to convince himself he was safe. He wasn't in his cell anymore, he was back in the guild.

"Holy fuck, Salamander! What the hell was that?" Gajeel stared at him with mounting concern. He'd fallen asleep while sitting with the Salamander in the infirmary, and he sure as hell hoped to never wake up to something like that again. His heart was still pounding.

"I'm sorry, I had a nightmare," Natsu's eyes looked around the room wildly. Gajeel saw that Natsu kept looking at him nervously like he couldn't entirely trust that Gajeel was there. "Can you just talk to me for a bit?"

 _And maybe get someone else to come in here with you?_ , Natsu thought to himself while trying to get his racing heart under control.

He was still having trouble relaxing when there was only one person with him. It made him question whether he was in the infirmary at Fairy Tail or back in his cell, especially if he was just waking up. He couldn't even rely on his senses to help him tell the difference, Tiamat had been able to imitate people's scents. The one thing he did know was that if there were multiple people around, he was safe. He had taken to asking people to show him their magic if he was left alone with them.

"It might help if you talked about what happened," Gajeel said in the most pleasant tone he was capable of, "You've always been too stubborn to back down from a fight. Why start now?"

"I'm not ready yet."

"You've been saying that for days. You're never going to _be_ ready, Salamander. The longer you put it off, the harder it's going to be. Just talk to them already. This is hard on them too, you know."

Makarov was still keeping most everyone away from Natsu. The dragon slayers had taken it upon themselves to guard his room, and at least two of them could usually be found in the infirmary at any given moment.

Without Natsu's cheerful countenance or his capacity for getting up to mischief, the guild was but a ghost of itself, and it was very unsettling. A lot of the members had been taking more jobs of late to avoid the gloominess that had taken hold of the guild hall.

Others had joined the research efforts in the guild library. Natsu's team, however, could not be convinced to leave at all. They hadn't taken a job since he'd been returned a week earlier, and Lucy had not mentioned the word rent once in that time. They just sat around waiting for the moment they would be allowed to see their friend.

Gajeel and Natsu could only stare when the door to the infirmary burst open and Gray and Erza ran in. Erza was wielding a sword and looking around the room, trying to find the enemy that must be lurking within. Gray took a defensive position in front of Natsu's bed.

"Natsu are you okay? " Erza yelled at him with urgency, "Where are they?"

"He's fine, Red. He just had a nightmare," Gajeel sighed as he looked at Natsu. His hands had started shaking when Gray and Erza entered the room. Gajeel was getting very tired of this. Some tough love was clearly required. He braced himself for what he was about to do and sent a silent apology to the boy in the bed.

Erza looked at him in disbelief. "Those screams were from a nightmare?" Her expression softened as she looked at Natsu huddled in the bed.

Gajeel got up and stretched. "Well, I'm done babysitting this asshole. I'm going to go downstairs to eat something and let the others know Salamander's fine. You two mind taking over? Great."

He left the room before Natsu had a chance to protest. He knew the Salamander was going to be furious with him for abandoning him with those two, but he needed to talk to them at some point. Might as well do it now.

They stood in uncomfortable silence as Natsu steadfastly refused to look at either of them. Erza requipped into her nurse's outfit and began to try to make him comfortable while Gray chose to sit in the chair that Gajeel had just vacated. Natsu relaxed a little when he saw Erza use her magic, Tiamat had never used his friends magic.

Gray stole a look at Natsu. He looked better than the first time he'd seen him, but he was still in rough shape. Those screams! That must have been one hell of a nightmare. From downstairs it had sounded like someone was being murdered in cold blood. Gray had been afraid of what they'd find when they burst into the infirmary.

He'd had his share of nightmares over the years, you couldn't be a survivor of a terrible event and not have them, but nothing like that.

"I'm sorry."

Was he talking to him? Natsu looked up at Gray in confusion. "What are you sorry about?"

The pain he saw in Gray's features made him look back down with great speed.

"I was there. I saw you leave the guild, and I followed you. I wanted to have a fight, but then I saw you with Erza, well I know now it wasn't Erza, and I didn't want to interrupt. By the time I realized what was happening, I wasn't able to keep her from taking you." The regret in his voice was very raw. It made Natsu uncomfortable.

 _Great. So if I'd just waited a few more minutes at the guild, none of this would have ever happened. Thanks for telling me that, Ice Bastard_ , Natsu thought sarcastically. Ugh, his emotions were all over the place lately.

What exactly had Gray seen? Natsu wondered, embarrassed as he remembered some of the things that Erza had been doing. He cringed at anyone seeing that, but Gray most of all.

"Don't worry about it, Ice Block. There was nothing you could've done. I still don't know what she did, everything just went black."

Erza noticed his discomfort and changed the subject. "Everyone's been worried about you," She said warmly.

"They would really like to see you," She moved to get a towel and some water and set about wiping the sweat and hair off his face, trying to ignore the way he flinched at her touch. "Are you hungry? I could ask Mira to make you some food."

This was the first time Erza had been able to see him, and even though she'd been warned of his injuries, she was still surprised that it was taking Natsu so long to recover.

He'd always been able to bounce back from his injuries swiftly, usually while waging a full out war on Porlyusica in the process. It was unsettling to see him like this, it somehow made what he had been through more real to her.

Natsu didn't know what was worse, watching his teammates tiptoe around him like he was an injured animal or feeling like said animal. These were his friends, they would never hurt him.

 _That's it!_ He fumed.

Natsu refused to let that bitch have control over him any longer. Gajeel was right, he'd never backed away from anything before, and he wasn't about to start now.

He would heal, he would recover, and when the time came, he would be ready to fight. His first battle began right now, and he would win it by doing what he did best. Attacking it head on. He would tell them what had happened. Maybe then, they could all start going back to normal.

"Erza, can you please go get Lucy and Happy?"

 _Preferably before I chicken out,_ Natsu thought to himself grimly.

The requip mage nodded and hurried out of the room. Gray sat quietly, waiting for the others to arrive. He tried to keep his expression neutral. There were a lot of things he wanted to talk to Natsu about, but he didn't want to be interrupted or overheard.

"Happy told me you've been taking care of him, thank you," Natsu conversed awkwardly.

"It's no problem, the little guy was devastated when Porlyusica told him he couldn't stay with you. It's actually been kind of nice having him around."

They sat in silence, and Natsu began to get antsy. "Can you mold something for me?" He asked. Now that he was alone with Gray of all people, he felt the panic begin to gnaw at him. Gray had been nice before too until he wasn't.

Gray looked at him strangely until he remembered they were alone. He'd heard about this from the others. That must be why Erza had made a point of requipping into her nurse's outfit.

He thought for a moment and then brought his hands together and molded a small figure of a young Natsu riding a dragon. He handed it over and saw Natsu relax almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, I get nervous when there's only one person with me." Natsu held the figure in his hands, admiring Gray's usual attention to detail before placing it on the nightstand by the bed. It made him feel wistful for the child he'd once been. "I just needed to make sure."

"Don't be, I should've thought of it myself. I imagine it's even worse when it's me," Gray said with a sad look on his face. "I really hate that you thought it was me doing those things to you."

"They weren't all bad," Natsu tried to reassure Gray.

 _What the hell did you just say?_ Natsu yelled at himself.

'What does he mean by that?' Gray thought in surprise.

Their conversation was thankfully interrupted by Erza returning with Lucy and Happy. Makarov and Porlyusica had tagged along as well. He was relieved that he would only have to go through this once. Happy immediately flew to the bed and cuddled up to Natsu.

He petted his Exceed absently as he started his story. He saw the concern on Gramp's face and tried to keep all emotion out of his voice, he couldn't let himself feel any of it. He hoped they'd let him get through it without any interruptions.

"I left the guild that morning to walk around the city. I was bored, and there was no one around to brawl with. That's when Erza found me and started acting strangely. She kept trying to touch me, and she was saying weird things."

He paused as he decided what was relevant, "I thought that someone must have given her something to make her act that way, so I tried to bring her back to the guild. Next thing I knew I was in a cell with magic sealing cuffs on my wrists and ankles. Erza came in, and I asked her to help me get the cuffs off so we could escape, and that's when she told me she'd put me there herself."

"I finally figured out it wasn't really Erza sometime later. She wanted me to give her some information. Since I wouldn't tell her what she wanted, she took out a dagger and worked me over with it until I passed out. The last thing I remember was her covering herself in my blood."

He really hoped to someday rid himself of that image or at the very least have it not affect him as much. He purposefully didn't look at Erza, not wanting to see her reaction.

"I woke up sometime later and smelled Gray in the room with me, but I was so weak from the pain that I fell back asleep thinking I'd imagined it. The next time I awoke, it was to Lucy whipping me. She was acting weird too, so I knew right away it wasn't her. She kept whipping me and then she left."

Natsu heard Lucy's intake of breath as he described her actions. He quickly decided that the only way he was going to get through the telling of his capture was by not looking at anyone and ignoring all of their responses. This was hard enough without worrying about how they would react.

"I was out again, and this time, I woke up to Gray cleaning up my wounds. He told me that he'd come to rescue me, but he'd gotten captured instead. He stayed in the cell with me and took care of me."

Makarov noticed that whenever Natsu mentioned anything to do with Gray, his voice automatically flattened in a way that he didn't do when talking about Erza or Lucy. He looked at his brat sadly.

Tiamat was sadistic and cunning. She'd hedged her bets by using all of Natsu's team members against him, sensing that one of them would be the one she needed to further her plans. Her methods were despicable but making Natsu think that Gray was real was the worst of all.

"The next morning Gray gave me something to drink and then...he left," He said hurriedly. No way in hell was he telling them that part or anything that happened after.

"A woman I'd never seen before walked into the room. She was wearing a cloak that had the symbol of the Penta Dragons on it. She told me her name was Tiamat and then launched into a story about Igneel. She said she'd tried to make him her mate, but he'd rejected her.

She blamed him for the dragons dying out saying he'd betrayed dragon kind and that she wanted to punish him through me. The last thing I remember was Gray coming back and beating me until my body gave out. Then I was here."

He'd done it! He'd gotten through most of it, and he did feel a little better. He looked at the faces of the people that had just listened to his story, and his heart sank.

Erza looked angrier than he'd ever seen her look before.

Lucy was trying to hold back her tears but was failing. Big, fat tears were running down her cheeks.

Gray was the worst. He'd made his face as smooth as his ice, his eyes unreadable, but Natsu could almost feel the blast of the ice mage's emotions slamming into him in waves. He really hoped Gray never found out about the part he'd left out because he didn't think the ice mage could take any more.

Makarov cleared his throat to get their attention. "I need to ask Natsu some questions. I know that this is a lot for you all to take in and he can probably use some time as well. Why don't the three of you take Happy downstairs for a while? You can talk to Natsu later if he's feeling up to it."

He personally thought that Natsu should have waited longer for this, but he was proud of his courage and desire to move forward. He expected nothing less from the Fire Dragon Slayer.

He waited for them to leave and saw Laxus standing outside the infirmary. He nodded at him to let him know to stand guard and keep everyone else away from the room. He gave Natsu a few minutes to regroup before he began questioning him.

"Gray was the one who gave you the solution wasn't he?" Makarov asked gently. He knew the questions would need to get more intrusive from this point onward, but he would start slowly.

Natsu gazed at him, dreading the questions he knew were coming.

"Yeah, I trusted him, so I didn't even think to smell it. It wouldn't have mattered, Tiamat would have found another way to force me to take it."

"I'm sure you're right," Makarov said, his voice soothing, "Did Gray do anything else before Tiamat came in the room?"

"He told me we would get out together, and then he kissed me," Natsu mumbled.

"What was that?"

"He kissed me," Natsu repeated a little louder.

"Was that something you wanted?"

Natsu didn't answer, and Makarov didn't push.

"Did she tell you why she wanted you to drink that solution?"

"She said it was to induce my first heat. She was going to make me her mate to punish Igneel for rejecting her."

"Did you have sex with her?"

"Yeah, Tiamat said that since it was my first time, she'd let me pretend to be with my true mate, but I had to cooperate. Otherwise, she would use one of her avatars to claim me. She said it was a one time only offer. That was the only time she shapeshifted in front of me," Natsu couldn't meet Makarov's gaze, "I knew it wasn't the real Gray, but I went along with it anyway."

"Natsu, I will say this as many times as you need to hear it. That woman raped you. She forced you to do something you didn't want and tricked you into thinking you wanted it because it was the better of two horrible choices. She might have been able to get your magic that way, but that's still rape in my book."

Natsu frowned, he had a hard time accepting that. Hadn't he let it happen? And he couldn't deny he'd enjoyed it, a part of him hadn't wanted it to end.

"Gray is your true mate ?"

Natsu hugged himself and refused to look at him.

"Natsu, look at me." He waited until the fire mage finally met his gaze. "You don't need to be ashamed. It doesn't matter to me that your mate is a man. Do you think you're the only one who's ever felt that way?" Makarov said kindly, he wanted to touch him, to offer him comfort in some way, but he knew it was a bad idea.

"All I've ever wanted for any of you is for you to be happy." He peered at the boy in front of him who suddenly looked very young to his eyes.

"Does he return your feelings?" Makarov pried gently.

"I don't think so, Gramps," Natsu replied truthfully.

Makarov thought back to the way Gray had been acting since Natsu had disappeared and came to the conclusion that it was very likely that he did indeed feel the same way about the fire mage, but they'd need to figure that out on their own.

"I understand why you kept some things to yourself, but someday, when you're ready, you should tell Gray the rest of it," Makarov advised quietly.

Natsu tensed up immediately, and Makarov frowned. He knew it would be difficult, but he firmly believed Natsu and Gray needed to discuss the full extent of what had happened if they stood any chance of reclaiming their friendship or if things worked out like he thought, becoming mates.

Still, he knew better than to push, this had been a big step after all. He smiled at Natsu and changed the subject.

"So, now that you told them what happened, how do you feel?"

"A little better."

Makarov smiled at him. "Shall I tell them they can visit you later?"

Natsu nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like that."

xxx

A/N: So rather than do a typical mpreg I think I'm going to go with this instead. Hopefully, people will find it interesting. Natsu made his first big step to his mental recovery (yay!). I hope you liked it. Let me know if you did. Thanks again to EclipsingParadise and SilverWhiteDragon for their words of encouragement.


	12. Outburst

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Revised and edited June 27, 2019

Chapter 11: Outburst

Natsu sat at his usual table with the rest of his team. It was the first day he'd been allowed downstairs, and he'd promised to take it easy lest he be returned to the infirmary and Porlyusica's watchful eye. Natsu couldn't understand why the old hag had not yet returned to her tree house. He figured she was having too much fun torturing him.

Even though he'd spent more hours than he could possibly count in the guild hall over the years, Natsu suddenly felt anxious and restless for reasons he didn't understand. He looked at his friends but couldn't find any interest in their current topic of conversation. Something about a new shop that had opened recently.

He took a moment to steal a look at Gray, only to find him doing the same thing. Gray was looking at him, a question burning in his deep blue eyes, but instead of asking it, he looked at the girls and rolled his eyes at Natsu.

Natsu couldn't help but wonder what the ice mage wanted to know, but he found himself plastering a grin on his face in return.

"So, how are you feeling these days?" Gray asked him.

Natsu shrugged. "Well enough to resent being treated like an invalid. I want to go on jobs, but Gramps won't let me out of the building."

As soon as he said those words, Natsu began to feel antsy. He needed to move, to fight, anything to keep him from thinking. "Wanna spar? It feels like forever since I've done anything active."

That wasn't entirely true. Porlyusica had been forcing him to do all sorts of exercises to strengthen his healing bones, but none of those were fun.

Gray felt terrible for his friend, but there was no way that he would fight Natsu in his current condition. "Not really, I'm feeling kind of tired right now." He lied.

Natsu pouted but let it go for now. He didn't really know how that would have gone anyway. A part of him wanted to beat up the ice mage for all the pain his doppelganger had put him through. Then there was another part of him that could no longer deny that he wanted something more.

Every time he looked at Gray, he would remember how it felt to have those cold lips on his. When he saw Gray's hands, he could remember how they'd felt touching his body, how his fingers...

No, he couldn't allow his mind to go there. Everything to do with Gray right now was just so damn confusing. It made his soured his mood just thinking about it. Which is why he took it upon himself to piss off Gajeel when the Iron Dragon Slayer came over to see how he was doing.

"They finally let you come downstairs, huh?" Gajeel asked affably, "The old hag finally get sick of your whining?"

Natsu got up and punched Gajeel's jaw, hard. Gajeel gaped at him in surprise.

"What the hell was that for Salamander?"

"That was for forcing me to do something I didn't want to do," Natsu replied testily. "And this is for looking so damn pleased about it."

He followed the first punch with another to Gajeel's gut and turned to walk away. Gajeel doubled over for a second, not having been expecting the assault.

Everyone in the guild was staring at the two of them in shock, the air so still it almost seemed like everyone stopped breathing while they waited for Gajeel to respond.

"It was for your own good, Asshole," Gajeel sputtered, trying to keep his composure. "You're welcome by the way."

"I didn't ask for your damn help. In fact, I don't remember asking for any of this," Natsu yelled, surprising even himself with the amount of anger that could be heard in his voice.

Natsu quickly lost any semblance of control over himself. He was tired of feeling weak. He wanted to feel in control of his life again. A wave of overwhelming anger took hold of him, and all he wanted to do was to hurt and destroy everything and everyone around him.

He was angry at himself for having been caught and tricked so easily and for being so helpless during his captivity. Angry at the others for not finding him and helping him in time, even though he'd held on to the hope that they'd rescue him. Angry for now being treated like he was broken.

After everything he'd done for them, the one time he'd needed help, they'd all failed him. They'd left him to be tortured by the people he considered his closest friends. To be claimed, beaten and mocked by the only person he'd ever loved.

Some small part of him knew he was being unfair, but the rest of him was out for blood and didn't give a damn. No part of what had happened to him was fair.

"You just got yourself well enough to even be down here. You really want to get hurt again? We'll talk when you're done with your little girly tantrum."

Gajeel had managed to keep himself under control, and he started to walk away from Natsu, but that comment was the last straw for the fire mage, and he rushed at the iron dragon slayer and tackled him to the ground. He began to pummel him with as much force as he could muster.

Gajeel managed to throw him into one of the guild's walls. He ran at Natsu, his head already turned to steel and ready to ram into Natsu's stomach when he was stopped by a thick shield of ice that suddenly appeared before the Fire Dragon Slayer.

A chorus of "What the hell?" erupted from both dragon slayers as they glared at the source of the shield.

Gray quickly rose from their table and ran to stand before Natsu, trying to protect him from Gajeel's wrath.

"Gajeel, stop it! Are you out of your mind? You can't fight with him in his condition," Gajeel peered at Gray in confusion.

What condition was he talking about? Natsu was fine now, wasn't he? He saw Erza, Lucy and Levy glaring at him. Gray looked like he was about ready to kill him if he even breathed at Natsu wrong.

What the hell? Natsu had come after *him*! Did he miss something? There was clearly something more going on here than what he knew. Gajeel decided to stand down until he knew what it was. There would be plenty of chances to beat the crap out of Natsu later.

"And what condition is that, Gray?" Natsu glared at his rival, "Don't think I can hold my own in a fight anymore?"

When Gray didn't immediately answer, Natsu looked away, not wanting his rival to see how his words had affected him.

Is that what Gray thought of him now? That he was too weak to even have a routine brawl with. Hell, how many times had the two of them fought each other until neither one of them could stand up anymore?

A voice in his head tried to tell him that he needed to calm down, that this was anything but a routine brawl and it was quickly spiraling out of his control. Somehow instead of making him back down, it fed his fury even further.

*You're so pathetic and weak.*

*You're an embarrassment to Fairy Tail.*

*I could never love someone like you. You disgust me.*

Those words played over and over in Natsu's mind overpowering any other thought and making him lose the last of his control. He was hurting and so he said the worst thing he could think of to the person he loved the most.

"I don't need your protection, Ice Block. The last time I relied on it, you almost killed me."

He knew it was a low blow, but he didn't care. He was lashing out. The sharp intake of breath and sorrowful expression on his friend's face made him realize that perhaps he'd gone too far. Even so, he couldn't make himself feel sorry for what he'd said. Right now, at this moment, he wanted Gray to know how much he'd hurt him.

Happy flew at Natsu and did something that no one ever thought they'd see him do. He slapped Natsu across the face with his tiny hand and shrieked, "Take that back! Take it back right now!"

Natsu looked at his Exceed in open-mouthed surprise. Happy's unexpected action was enough to calm him down a little. He rubbed at his cheek with his hand and really looked at Gray.

"NATSU! Apologize to Gray this second," Erza leaped up from the table and headed their way. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard, and she was furious.

She knew Natsu had every reason to be upset about what had happened to him, but she also knew how hard it had been for Gray while Natsu was missing. How guilty he'd felt for not being able to stop it. How broken he'd become when Natsu woke up terrified of him.

"You have no right to blame him for something that he didn't do. You have no idea what it was like for him when..."

"It's fine," Gray quickly interrupted Erza before she could say any more.

He turned towards his rival, "Natsu, you can hate me all you want. Go ahead, I deserve it."

He stared deep into Natsu's eyes and pleaded, "Tell me, what can I do, huh? What can I do so that you will forgive me and we can put this behind us?"

Natsu felt like he was once again being held captive but this time by Gray's pain. His mouth opened to respond, but no words came out. He watched with growing dread as Gray continued talking.

"Do you want to tie me up and beat me like he did to you? Anything he did to you, you can do it to me too. Will we be even then?"

"Go ahead, do it," Gray offered his hands to Natsu like a prisoner waiting to be handcuffed, his expression unreadable to anyone who didn't know him well.

*Shit, shit, shit!* He'd definitely gone too far. Natsu had seen that look before. This isn't what he'd wanted. He'd wanted Gray's anger, not this.

Gray's expression was full of determination and self-loathing. If Natsu didn't say or do something soon, there might not be any returning from this. His mind raced to come up with something, anything to attempt to salvage what was left of their relationship, a roar was heard from upstairs.

"GAJEEL, GRAY AND NATSU, MY OFFICE NOW!"

They all trudged upstairs, making a point of not looking at each other.


	13. Mates

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Edited and revised July 02, 2019. I broke up Natsu's narrative and added more reactions which I think improved the chapter overall. It feels less flat to me now. I hope you enjoy the changes.

Chapter 12: Mates

Gray and Natsu were currently locked in Master Makarov's office. They'd gone up there with Gajeel, but once Makarov realized what role Gajeel had played, he'd let him return downstairs. He'd then told the two mages in no uncertain terms that they were not to leave his office until they had hashed out their issues.

Gray once again presented his hands, and Natsu slapped them away absently. "Stop that."

"What then? I don't know what the hell else to do anymore. I've tried keeping my distance, I've tried saying I'm sorry. Nothing I do gets through to you." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Just give me a minute, I'm not good with words."

Gray snorted. That was one hell of an understatement.

Natsu looked at him with annoyance. "Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to get hit by Gajeel? I was the one who started that fight."

"But why? I thought the two of you were getting along a lot better these days."

"We are. Look, I was mad at myself for the thoughts I was having," Natsu tapped his fingers nervously on his thigh as he tried to avoid Gray's confused gaze.

"I just..." Natsu sighed as he realized he would have to be honest. It was the only way he could hope to fix the hole he'd dug for himself.

"I wanted to feel like I was in control of something that was happening to me. That's something I haven't felt since I was captured. When you got in the way of that, it seemed like you thought I couldn't hold my own anymore. Like...like you thought I was weak."

Gray opened his mouth to protest, but Natsu shook his head, indicating he wasn't done.

"That really hurt, and it brought back some memories I didn't want to deal with. I just wanted to make you mad Ice Block, I didn't want you to act like _this_."

Natsu peered at Gray, trying to weigh his reaction, and although he still looked ready to protest, his eyes remained as guarded as always. All Natsu could do was wait for his reply.

"That's not why I stopped him, you idiot. I don't think you're weak at all, I've never thought that, regardless of what I might say when we trash talk." Gray looked uncomfortable and given their usual dynamic Natsu wasn't surprised. "You may not see this right now, but you're one of the strongest people I know."

Natsu looked down at his feet, while it was nice to hear the words he couldn't relate to them, not with everything that had happened.

"I don't know many people that would've been able to survive what happened to you." Gray stopped talking, and the silence caused Natsu to look up to see what was happening, only to be assaulted by the fierce determination in Gray's eyes.

He was even more surprised by the gentle tone of Gray's next words, "Look, I know it won't be easy but maybe if you tell me what really happened with the other me...maybe we can get past this. I know you left stuff out, I'm not stupid."

Natsu laughed, his bitterness palpable. "I don't really think that will help."

"It can't possibly make it worse," Gray argued, "I might never have come out and said this before, but you're my best friend, I don't want to lose that just because some bitch wanted to take your magic. Stop trying to protect me."

Natsu studied Gray for a long time, trying to figure out if he was strong enough to admit to what was bothering him. Could he tell him what had happened? How he felt?

If he did, there would be no going back. Natsu struggled to come to a decision, but as he held the ice mage's unwavering gaze, he realized that Gray wouldn't really accept any other answer. And based on what Laxus had told him about what had happened at Lamia Scale, Natsu felt like he owed him an explanation.

"Fine, I'll tell you. If nothing else you'll understand why I won't be able to be around you sometimes."

Gray looked surprised by that, but he waited patiently for Natsu to tell him what he'd been waiting to hear.

"The first time I noticed your smell, I was in a lot of pain. Not Erza, that's how I thought of her to remind myself that she wasn't real, had just gotten done cutting and stabbing me."

Gray's expression was stoic as he listened to Natsu, but his eyes never left the fire mage.

"The second time I smelled you, I wanted it to be true. You were asleep, but you'd wrapped your arms around me like you were trying to keep me safe. But in the morning you were gone, and I thought I'd dreamed you."

Natsu paused, smiling sadly as he remembered how thinking Gray was with him had made him feel. He trudged on, knowing it was only going to get worse.

"I was in even worse shape the next time. You told me that you'd come to rescue me, but you'd been captured instead. You were all banged up, but you were taking care of my injuries. Tiamat even managed to sound like you," Natsu said not able to hide his anger.

Gray moved his arm towards Natsu to touch him before thinking better of it, and Natsu was glad. He didn't know if he could handle it.

"You being there made my situation bearable because at least we were there together, and you told me we'd find a way out. But that last day everything changed. You woke me up and offered me a drink. I trusted you, so I never thought to question it."

Natsu frowned when he noticed the guilt flit across Gray's face, but he couldn't dwell on it. Now that he'd begun there was no way he could stop. They were going to have to deal with Gray's guilt along with his own anger. There was just no way around it.

He struggled with how to continue, deciding to explain the root of the problem before delving into the more awkward events.

"The enchantment the dragons cast on us to give us our magic modified our bodies to take on some of the physical attributes of our dragons. It allowed us to absorb our element, but it also had the side effect of giving us some of the reproductive aspects of dragons.

Dragons have mates and so do dragon slayers. Once we reach adulthood, we start having heats every year, and it's during this time that we can detect our mates. It's an attachment so strong, we're only allowed one in our lifetime. Even if that person rejects us, no one will ever take their place. I didn't know any of this then, Levy found out about it from some of the books she's been researching."

"Technically I'm too young to go into heat yet, but that drink forced my body into my first one. I felt strange straight away, but I thought it was just because of my injuries. Then you kissed me and disappeared."

Natsu was confused by Gray's lack of response, it didn't seem like that had surprised him as much as Natsu had expected. He remembered his fear when he'd woken up that Gray would somehow learn how Tiamat had taken his magic and wondered if the ice mage knew more than he'd let on. Natsu peered at him uncertainly before continuing.

"At that point, I decided I'd imagined you because I needed something to help me keep it together. That's when Tiamat came in and introduced herself. She told me about Igneel and then she told me she was going to force me to be her mate."

Natsu saw the pity in Gray's eyes and had to stop for a moment and take a breath before he snapped and said something he'd regret. He knew the ice mage didn't mean anything by it, but the last thing he wanted from Gray was his pity.

He looked down at his hands, noticing they had started to tremble. He focused on them, not wanting to see Gray's reaction to his next words.

"She gave me a choice. If I cooperated, she would shift into my real mate. Otherwise, she would use one of her avatars to claim me. She said it was a one time only offer. I- I chose my mate."

As always any thought of that five-headed monster made his stomach heave, add that to his shaking hands, and he was really a mess.

Gray was horrified. He'd thought that Natsu had sort of willingly chosen to be with either himself or Sting, but he'd been right the first time. There had never really been a choice, this was rape. He moved to hug the dragon slayer, but Natsu waved him away. While he was retelling his story, it was a little too real to have Gray in front of him.

"She turned into him right in front of me," Natsu cursed as he felt the tears come, but he bravely tried to keep going. "I- I begged her to stop, but she didn't care."

Natsu looked up at Gray then, and the sight of Natsu's tears nearly broke him. The stupid flame brain kept giving him a pleading look like he thought _he'd_ done something wrong.

Gray was furious at Tiamat for messing Natsu up this way and at himself for hoping he'd been the one Natsu had picked. More than anything, he wanted to hold Natsu in his arms and help him forget what had happened, but he knew that was impossible. So he tried to keep his features blank, not wanting to make things any harder.

"Even though I knew it wasn't him, I went through with it. I suppose it could have been worse, but she was gentle." Natsu continued, even though his voice broke often. "I understand now that she had to be to get at my magic. It wouldn't have worked if I didn't believe on some level that it was something I wanted."

He saw Gray open his mouth to say something before closing it again.

"After, my body was covered in flames, and he absorbed all of them. I must have passed out because I was alone again, and screams were coming from outside. That's when you came back in and placed me back on the hooks. You beat me and told me I was pathetic and weak. That I was an embarrassment to Fairy Tail. That I was disgusting and you could never love someone like me."

"You were still beating me when my body gave out. I don't remember waking up in Lamia Scale, but Laxus told me what happened. That's probably why I reacted the way I did. I'm sorry about that."

Natsu gazed at Gray, he'd managed to get himself under control, but he couldn't help but notice how Gray's hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"It's you, Gray. You're my mate," Natsu couldn't conceal his sorrow as he waited for his imminent rejection.

"Wh-what?" Gray looked like he didn't quite believe the words that were coming out of Natsu's mouth. He could hardly breathe from everything he'd just heard. Gray wanted to scream, or to cry, to say something, but all he could do was look at Natsu with a horrified expression. He had endured so much pain, and someone who looked like Gray had been the one to inflict it.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how much of the mates thing is chosen for me and how much is my will, but I've had feelings for you for years. I could use to ignore them, but it's harder now because even though I understand it wasn't you that I did these things with, I have all these memories and feelings that you don't share and it's confusing for me. I know you're with Juvia and I respect that. I don't expect anything from you."

Gray was panicking as Natsu continued to talk, his brain was not cooperating. Him with Juvia? What the hell was the moron talking about?

Learning that everything he'd ever wanted had always been in front of him was more than Gray could handle on top of everything else. He tried to interrupt, to tell Natsu how he'd always felt about him but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was listen with growing unease as Natsu continued to explain.

"A lot of this might be moot. Tiamat has claimed me as her mate, and I don't think she is going to just give me up. She said that I'd be bound to her, and I believe her. All I can do is make sure that next time she doesn't catch me unawares. I will fight her or die trying, but I won't go back to her. I won't let her use me to hurt Igneel."

"No," Gray finally managed to get out.

"No what?" Natsu looked at him in confusion.

"She can't have you, I will challenge her for you if I have to. And I'm not with Juvia. I never have been."

"What are you talking about? I saw you flirting with her."

"I was trying to get to you, you idiot."

"Oh," He really _was_ an idiot. That possibility had never occurred to him.

"Can I hug you?" Gray asked with care. After hearing everything that had happened, he didn't want to force himself on Natsu in any way. Natsu nodded, although he looked a bit unsure. Gray moved towards him and wrapped his mate in a hug.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, but you need to know that I'd never do those things to you."

When Natsu didn't reply, Gray let go of him so he could get a look at his face. Natsu could only stare back at him, and Gray thought it was time to make things clear. "Get this through your thick skull, Pinky."

He smiled as he saw Natsu react with irritation at the hated nickname, pleased to see a spark of life in the fire mage.

"I don't think you're weak or pathetic. You're the pride of Fairy Tail, and the only time you disgust me is when you eat."

Natsu didn't know what to think or feel. His feelings were all jumbled up with his memories, and his hands began to shake yet again.

"Natsu, listen to me," Gray tried to capture Natsu's gaze, and when he finally felt that the fire mage was listening, he growled, "If that woman tries to get anywhere near you, I will fucking kill her."

He couldn't believe it, after years of pining after him thinking he had no chance in hell it turned out he was Natsu's mate. He knew with everything Natsu had been through things wouldn't be easy, but he also knew better than anyone how strong Natsu was.

Gray was confident they would get past this eventually and then they'd have a whole life together to look forward to. He was exhilarated, and he chose not to dwell on the fact that they would have to find a way to defeat a goddess before that could happen. They were Fairy Tail, they always found a way.

He debated telling Natsu about the pregnancy then but decided now was not the right time. If Porlyusica had chosen not to tell him yet, he would respect that choice. She understood Natsu's health better than he did. He'd just have to make sure that Natsu was careful.

"Is there any way to revoke her claim on you?"

Natsu just shrugged. "I don't know, Levy and the others are looking into it. Sting thinks she had to bite me to actually stake her claim, but none of us are really sure. She shouldn't have been able to claim me at all if Igneel had already rejected her. She's a goddess, the rules might be different for her."

"We're really mates?"

Natsu smiled at the joy he heard in Gray's voice and nodded.

"We'll go slow," Gray gestured at their intertwined hands, "Is this ok?"

"Yeah, that much is fine."

They left Makarov's office hand in hand. The Master was waiting outside, and he looked at their hands pointedly. Both boys blushed, and Makarov smiled at them. He was happy for his brats. He had a piece of paper in his hands that he showed them immediately.

"I'm glad you made up! A critical job request just came in for the two of you, and you need to leave right away."

When both of them nodded at him, the Fairy Tail Master made a point of stressing. "You'd better be on your best behavior. Your client is Warrod Sequen, one of the Wizard Saints. I'm sending Lucy, Erza, and Wendy with you to make sure you behave."

He addressed Natsu in a much gentler tone, "Make sure you stop by the infirmary to get your medicines from Porlyusica before you leave and don't overdo it. Happy already packed your stuff.

Tiamat watched a large group leave Fairy Tail. It was her mate's team, but her mate was not among them. She watched them go and leered in anticipation, she was planning on getting him and her child back as well as the magic of the blue and black dragons. Now that she had acquired three of her magics, she should be strong enough to take on Fairy Tail.

xxx

A/N This is for SilverWhiteDragon. I think you have been waiting for this one. I hope you enjoy it! I know there's no kissing or anything, but it didn't feel right at this moment for them to do that. Natsu barely tolerates being touched at the moment. I hope you're not too disappointed. Thank you, EclipsingParadise, for your kind words! They mean a lot, as always.


	14. New Skills

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 13: New Skills

Gray squeezed Natsu's hand before letting it go as they made their way downstairs. He wasn't ready to have everyone know what had happened between them yet, for now it belonged only to the two of them and Makarov. He needed to go to his apartment to pack his bag for the upcoming job request. He left Natsu at the bar and whispered that he would return soon. He left the guild quickly, eager to go on a job for the first time since Natsu had been captured. Now that he was outside he allowed his face to show the happiness he had been careful to hide while in the guild.

Inside the guild, Mira was looking at Natsu an idea forming in her head.

"Natsu, do you remember what I taught you about transformation magic?"

"Yeah?", he said wondering what the take over mage was getting at.

"Maybe you should use it until you guys get out of Magnolia. We don't know who's looking for you and no offense, but you kind of stand out."

He thought about it carefully. Could he still do it? He tried to transform into Mira. He closed his eyes and created a picture of Mira in his mind. Once he had it he tried to imagine that picture on his own body. He allowed his magic power to build up and then he released it. He opened his eyes and looked at Mira.

"How did I do?", he asked the take over mage.

"Not bad at all!", she handed him a mirror and he saw Mira's face reflected back at him. "We're going to need to work on your voice, though. You still sound like you and that won't fool anybody." She worked with him, teaching him how to change his voice as part of the transformation. He was a quick study and she was soon happy with his progress.

"Now, visualize the clothes you want to be wearing and place them on your image."

After a few tries he managed to switch his own clothes for Mira's purple dress. Erza and Wendy clapped at his progress while Lucy tried not to look jealous. Even though she had been the one who had wanted to learn transformation magic she'd had no luck when she had tried it.

"Very impressive Natsu, I didn't know you could do that.", Erza told him proudly, "Mira doesn't go on missions though. I think she would stand out as well." She tried to think of who could work. She thought they were on the right track with it being a female as it would draw less attention than another male.

Natsu was pleased that he had been able to perform the difficult magic. He released the transformation and looked around the guild. He noticed the absence of a certain blue haired water mage and his eyes lit up with mischief at the thought of the prank he was going to play on his mate. He loved the sound of that.

He closed his eyes and tried to create a picture of Juvia in his mind, it was harder since she was not in the guild and he had not seen very much of her in the last month. He thought of the color of her eyes and the length of her hair, of her features, what he knew of her body as well as the placement of her guild mark. He thought of the tone of her voice and the clothes that she wore. He put all of these things together in his mind and then he tried to imagine them on his own body. He let his magic power build up and then he released it. He opened his eyes slowly and looked in the mirror that Mira had lent him. Juvia stared back at him.

Mira looked at him proudly. Gajeel walked up to him and looked him up and down. "When did you learn to do that?", he asked, a hint of both admiration and jealousy evident in his voice.

"A few weeks before I was captured. Mira was going to teach Lucy, and Happy and I tagged along.", Natsu looked at the Iron Dragon Slayer uncomfortably, "Listen, about earlier..."

"Don't worry about it, I shouldn't have pushed you.", Gajeel waved away his apology, "Did you get things sorted out with Fullbuster?"

Natsu/Juvia blushed and nodded. "We're not telling anyone yet, though." Gajeel clapped the Salamander on his back. "Congratulations!"

He walked to the bar and got himself a drink, he looked for a good seat and sat down to wait. Natsu/Juvia went and sat with him since that is where Juvia would normally sit. They were both trying hard not to laugh but failing as they waited for Gray to return and Levy looked at them with an affectionate smile. It was nice to see them gettting along. They soon got bored and started arm wrestling. Gajeel was thankful that everyone in the guild knew that it was really Natsu he was wrestling. He would never be able to live it down if people thought Juvia was giving him that much trouble. They both immediately stopped as they smelled the ice mage nearing the guild. Gajeel let out a "Gihi!" in anticipation while Natsu/Juvia said "Showtime!" He worked himself into character. The guild watched to see how it played out. This was going to be good!

Natsu/Juvia accosted Gray as soon as he walked into the guild with his mission bag. She immediately wrapped her arms tightly around him and said "Gray-sama, you're back! Juvia has missed you so much!" Natsu/Juvia tried to transform his eyes into hearts but could not manage it. Gray tried to disentangle himself from the water mage. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Natsu while their relationship was so new. He was having more trouble than usual getting away from her. He really didn't remember her being this strong before.

"Come my beloved, let's have a drink together and stare into each other's eyes." Natsu/Juvia grabbed Gray's hand roughly and started dragging him towards the bar. Gray stopped her and said "Juvia, let go of me. I've told you before. I don't see you that way." He could feel everyone's eyes on him demanding that he give in to her advances. He looked uncomfortable and Natsu/Juvia couldn't take it anymore. He tried to stay in character but he couldn't help laughing at his mate's discomfort and when he did his laugh came out his own. Gray looked at her in confusion as he tried to find Natsu.

"Let go of my beloved, you impostor!" an angry water mage yelled from the newly opened guild doors. When the impostor refused to do so she attacked her with a water whip. Juvia/Natsu transformed back, let go of Gray's hand, and blocked her attack although he still got drenched with her water. He promptly covered his body in fire and dried off.

"Stop Juvia, I give.", Natsu informed her still laughing, raising his arms in surrender. "It was just a prank!" Gajeel laughed so hard at seeing the Salamander looking like a drowned rat, he almost fell out of his chair. The members of Fairy Tail were relieved to see Natsu acting more like himself and they felt that maybe he would be okay after all. Gray did not look amused and Juvia was a little confused at seeing herself as her own love-rival for a moment but in the end even she was happy to see the fire mage act a little more like himself.

"If you ever do that to me again, I will hand you over to Tiamat myself.", Gray growled at Natsu but the twinkle in his eyes let the fire mage know that he did not mean it. Gray was happy to see his mate acting more like himself than he had in the last month. He agreed that it was a good idea for Natsu to use transformation magic while they were traveling. They briefly debated on who he should change into and settled on Cana. Natsu told Happy to fly with either Lucy or Gray until they left Magnolia. The team left the guild once both Cana and Mira were satisfied with Natsu's transformation. They left in good spirits and they did not feel the eyes that watched them attentively as they left for Warrod's house.

xxx

Igneel had used some of his magic to create an illusion of a volcanic wasteland for them to live and train in. He was resting in a large cave watching the boy practice. He was becoming stronger every day and that allowed him to hold his child like form for days at a time. The resemblance to Natsu was so strong that it would sometimes make Igneel ache with longing for his son. He had taken to calling him Kai.

Kai's training was progressing very well. As to be expected from a being that was a half god he had a very good grasp on magic. He just needed help learning how to channel his magic to the right parts of his body for the different spells. He already had a very powerful roar, in a few weeks it would probably be stronger than Igneel's.

No matter how strong he became as long as Kai lived in Natsu's body he would remain potential and Igneel was curious if Natsu might be able to tap into Kai's potential as an additional power source when his own magical container was low.

He was a very curious child and he asked a lot of questions. He was very curious about his mother and he was getting frustrated with Igneel's continued refusal to talk about her. Igneel did not want to influence his thinking because he knew that could backfire on him very easily. Instead he taught Kai about good and evil. He taught him about love and family and every other good thing he could think of to try to give him a good foundation to rely on for when he would inevitably meet his mother.

Igneel knew that his time with Kai would be limited and he tried to make the most of it. He was teaching him every spell he knew. Tiamat was going to come back soon and claim him and use him to trap Natsu into staying with her. He would too, Natsu would do anything to protect his son. Of that, Igneel had no doubt.

"Grandfather, can we ever talk to Father?", Kai asked. He figured if he could communicate with his father maybe he would tell him about his mother.

"I've only been able to speak to him a few times but it was very hard to do and he did not realize that he was talking to me. He thought he was remembering or dreaming. That's enough for today, let's get some rest."

Kai stopped his practice and ran over to the dragon. This was his favorite part of the day, he cuddled up against Igneel's warmth and listened to the dragon's snores. He thought about what Igneel had said and reached out with his mind. He called out to his father but received only silence in return. He focused on what he could feel of his father's mind. He saw something that looked like thin whitish threads floating around everywhere. He tried to follow one up to it's source. He saw his father as a little boy, with a little white haired girl taking care of an egg. He wondered if that was his mother. He watched them for a while, he saw the egg hatch into a little blue winged cat. He continued watching the images until his father cried over the death of the little girl. 'No, that could not be my mother.', he thought sadly.

He followed another thread and watched his father meet a little black haired boy with blue eyes similar to his. They played and fought together and he couldn't tell whether they liked or hated each other. They spent a lot of time together though. This was getting him nowhere.

He followed thread after thread greedily learning everything he could about his father and his friends. He explored different areas trying to get to memories that were closer to the present, the ones more likely to lead to his mother. After a while he found an area of threads that were floating off on their own away from the others, almost like they didn't want to be found. These threads were a different color, they were an angry red and they throbbed, almost as if they were alive. He looked at them and he was filled with a sense of dread. He waffled over whether he wanted to follow them or not. He chose to explore them at a later time and returned to the other area.

He needed to find something soon before Igneel woke up. He didn't know why but he instinctively knew his grandfather wouldn't approve of what he was doing. There had to be a reason why Igneel didn't want to tell him about her himself. He followed his instincts and focused all of his power on thinking about what he wanted to learn. When he released it a thread started to glow brighter than the others. He followed it excitedly. This must be the right one! His father was walking around a city when his red haired friend approached him. He watched with interest as the images appeared before him.

When Igneel awoke Kai was nowhere to be seen. He expanded his dragon senses and searched for the boy. He heard him in the distance and left his cave to find him. Kai was punching a mountain over and over. Tears were streaming down his face as he continued to pummel the rock.

"What's wrong, Kai?", Igneel asked with concern.

"You should have told me.", Kai said in between sobs, "She's a monster."

"What did you do?"

"I found a way into Father's memories."

Igneel sighed. "You shouldn't have done that. We live here, but we should respect his privacy. Come here little one." Kai reluctantly came to him and Igneel started talking. "She wasn't always terrible you know. She loved me and at one time, I actually loved her too. She was smart and beautiful, but she wasn't naturally kind. She tried for me for a while but when humans started killing her dragons she lost any compassion she ever had. When she asked me to be her mate she was already too far gone and I had to reject her even though I knew it would only make her worse. When she found out that I trained humans to be dragon slayers she never forgave me. She was banished not long after. I have hope that she might still change."

"How can you say that after what she did to Father?"

"You can never lose hope Kai. Hope is the reason that I am here inside my son 400 years in the future. Maybe you will be the reason for her to change. Don't give up on her yet. She might surprise you."

Kai thought about everything he had seen and decided his mother had given up on hope a long time ago. If she hated humans so much why would she even create a child with one? Maybe Igneel was right about her but the hurt of his creation was too fresh in his mind. For now, he would think of the black haired boy as his mother. He had his eyes after all and he was pretty sure his father loved him.


	15. Unwelcome Visitor

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 14: Unwelcome Visitor

When Tiamat entered the Fairy Tail Guild she was greeted by the sound of very loud music. She looked around her amused at the amount of alcohol that seemed to be flowing and the carefree sound of laughter that permeated the air. The guild was returning to a sense of normalcy after Team Natsu left for their mission. After a month of worry and heartache everyone was happy to let loose for awhile and celebrate Fairy Tail style. It was perhaps for this reason that they did not immediately notice the beautiful woman that walked in imperiously through their door.

She was of average height with long black hair and eyes. Her eyes quickly scanned the room looking for any sign of the dragon slayers. She quickly found them sitting near the back of the room Rogue and Laxus among them. She did not see Natsu anywhere. She didn't let that concern her, he was sure to be around somewhere.

She was a little put out that no one had noticed her yet but she used the time to identify the mages who might pose the biggest threat. She felt for high concentrations of magic energy and quickly determined that aside from the dragon slayers the only real threats were the short old man and the long white haired waitress.

She magnified her voice to get their attention "Members of Fairy Tail, I am Tiamat. I have come here to collect the magic from the ones they call Laxus and Rogue. If they give it to me willingly, I will leave peacefully. If they don't I will be happy to take it by force."

"That won't work here Tiamat. They already know you can't take their magic by force.", Connor, the leader of the Penta Dragons, smirked at her.

"You're still alive?", Tiamat looked at him with scorn."Well , you see Connor, that might have been true before but now that I have absorbed the essence of three of my elements I am finding I can do pretty much whatever I want."

Connor looked at her in horror as she called out her first spell "Scorching Ray" and seven rays of fire appeared from her hand and wrapped themselves around Connor's flailing body like a cocoon. The fire felt hotter than any they had ever felt from Natsu's spells. He started screaming in agony even as she spoke to him softly in a voice that tried to convey affection even though the glee in her eyes belied her words. "Thank you for summoning me back into this world, old friend."

Juvia tried to put out the fire with her "Water Lock" spell but the fire burned too hot and turned all of her water to steam. She desperately tried other spells as she attempted to save the man to no avail. "Juvia is sorry!" she sobbed but the old man had already disintegrated to a pile of ashes on the ground and the fire extinguished itself once it was done consuming his flesh.

"Don't cry water mage, I did him a favor. He's with his friends now."

The mages were all stunnned by the events that were unfolding, all thoughts of celebration replaced by horror at the remains of the Penta Dragons Master. Over the last three weeks the old man had spent in Fairy Tail they had grown to like him. He was soft spoken and kind and he had tried so hard to find a way to repair the damage that his misguided summoning had caused. He had hoped one day to apologize to Natsu for the role he'd had in his imprisonment. Justin looked in horror at the remains of his Master and did the only thing he could think of. He ran over to Laxus and Rogue and yelled, "Hurry, come with me."

Laxus shook him off. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my guild and my family. I'm going to fight."

"You can't fight her you fool, she is after your magic. If she has found a way to get it without your consent you would be playing into her hands.", Justin tried to reason with him.

Rogue was refusing to go with him as well. Sting looked at his friend and sighed. "I'm sorry, love."

Rogue looked at Sting in confusion and then Gajeel knocked him out from behind and yelled at Justin to take him far away. Justin grabbed Rogue and teleported him out .

Sting, Gajeel and Laxus started moving towards the front of the guild being careful to come at her from different directions. Mira had already transformed into her Satan Soul.

Tiamat smiled malevolently as she cast another spell, "Crushing Despair".

Throughout the guild hall several members of Fairy Tail became immobilized by overwhelming despair.

A short girl with violet colored hair and green eyes bravely made her way towards Tiamat "You said that you had three of your elements. What did you do to Cobra?"

"Do? Child, I didn't do anything to him. He gave me his magic willingly."

"I don't believe you!", the girl replied. She burst into tears.

"You mean like Salamander gave you his magic willingly?", a disgusted Iron Dragon Slayer growled at her. He could feel the power coursing through her but he wasn't thinking about himself at the moment. He was still pissed off about what had been done to the Salamander.

"I fail to see how the relationship between myself and my mate is any of your business, metallic dragon."

"He is not your mate. He belongs to another."

"You are mistaken, I claimed him first and the life that grows inside of him is proof of that. He is welcome to try to fight it but in the end we will be a happy little family.", she said sarcastically. "Where is he hiding anyway?", Tiamat looked around the guild for the pink haired dragon slayer and in doing so noted that the shadow dragon slayer had also disappeared.

Gajeel was filled with dread as the pieces suddenly clicked in his mind. Natsu's mysterious condition. He was pregnant. She had managed to keep him captive in yet another way.

Makarov had had enough, "I invoke Fairy Law." Magic circles converged around the guild master as a bright light began to appear. Tiamat looked at Makarov in amusement and cast "Anti Magic Field." causing the bright light to disappear as if there was an invisible wall ten feet in front of her.

"Did you really think that was going to work on me?", her tone mocking as she pointed at Makarov and started to cast a spell. Laxus started running towards his grandfather screaming "GEEZER!" he needed to be able to stop whatever she was going to throw at him. Mira flew at Tiamat trying to stop her from casting her spell but was hit with "Repulsion" instead. Mira could get no closer to the deity and neither could anyone else.

"Disintegrate", Tiamat said it softly but the guild was so quiet that it sounded like a yell. A green ray appeared from her pointing finger and Laxus managed to tackle Makarov out of the way of the destructive spell. The bar behind them started to glow and then disappeared completely leaving behind only a trail of dust. Laxus looked at what was left of the bar and became furious. That bitch had tried to do that to his grandfather.

Laxus had had enough. He raised both of his hands in the air and started generating as much electricity between his open palms as he was able. The electricity took the shape of a giant spear.

Tiamat started moving towards Laxus with a hungry look of anticipation.

"Laxus, NO!", Makarov screamed with urgency but he was too late.

"Lightning Dragon Heavenward Halberd" Laxus hurled the massive spear at Tiamat. It was one of his most powerful attacks.

Tiamat absorbed all of it, her body crackling with electricity. Her eyes gleamed in triumph but that look suddenly changed to shock and pain. She looked down to see a vibrating jagged edged sword protruding from her chest. It was gone quickly and if it wasn't for the pain and the blood gushing out of the hole it had left behind she would have thought that she had imagined it. She instinctively looked for the metallic dragon who looked much too pleased with himself.

"Gihi, bet you didn't see that coming."

She started to disappear as her Contingency spell of teleportation automatically whisked her out of any further harm. "This won't be the last you see of me." Just like that she was gone.

xxx

A/N That was really weird to write. I hated Dungeons and Dragons with a vengeance growing up (although I did love the cartoon series) so I needed help with the spells which my husband, who is a huge DD geek, provided. Hopefully it came out ok. I also feel kind of bad that I finally gave the Penta Dragons Master a name only to kill him horribly. Sorry Connor, RIP :(.


	16. The Secret Is Out

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 15: The Secret Is Out

Natsu was miserable, he was feeling nauseous. He was used to feeling this way when he was on a train but they had gotten off the infernal contraption over an hour ago. They were walking to get to Warrod Sequen's house so that he could tell them about the job he was requesting the two of them for. Gray had been looking at him worriedly for a while now and it was beginning to piss him off.

"Are you ok?", Gray asked him for the tenth time.

"I'm fine.", Natsu snapped at Gray as he lied for the tenth time. "It's my first job back, I must just be tired or something."

"Why don't we stop and eat.", Erza suggested. Food always cheered Natsu up and the master had told them to make sure to not let him do more than his body was ready for.

They found a field not too far ahead and sat down for a picnic. Erza was excited to finally be having a proper picnic with her friends and Natsu cheered up a little at the thought of resting and eating, although in his current condition he wasn't really hungry. When he watched Natsu mostly play with the food in front of him Gray realized that he hadn't seen Natsu taking his medicine once since they had left Fairy Tail the previous evening. He wasn't sure what the medicine was for but he thought it might be the one that masked Natsu's pregnancy symptoms.

"Natsu did you take your medicine?", Gray asked pointedly.

"No. It tastes terrible and the old lady isn't here to make me. Besides, I already told you I'm fine.", Natsu replied with a petulant tone.

"Take the medicine, Flame Brain."

"No."

"Quit being stubborn and just take it."

"I said no."

"Gramps said that you were supposed to take your medicine so if you don't take it I will force it down your goddamned throat."

"You and what army, Snowflake?"

"Happy, can you get Natsu's medicine from his bag?", Gray asked the Exceed as he approached his mate. Happy quickly returned with the medicine and handed it over to Wendy. He then flew over to Lucy and sat down with her.

"Natsu-san, please just take your medicine. Porlyusica would not have given it to you unless you really needed it.", Wendy looked at him with big soulful eyes doing her best to get him to change his mind. She took the medicine and started pouring out the correct dosage into a small cup.

"Yes, Natsu take it or Gray won't be the only one forcing it down your throat.", Erza said already moving towards the pink haired boy that she considered a younger brother. "We need you to be at your best for this most important job request."

Lucy wisely decided to stay out of it. Natsu was probably already feeling ganged up on enough as it was but she watched with amusement as the others tried to force him to take the dreaded medicine.

Natsu thought about running but he knew he wouldn't get very far. Happy clearly wasn't going to fly him anywhere since the traitor seemed to be on their side. He tried not to look at Wendy, begging him with those eyes that only a monster would deny. He knew he was being childish and irrational but he didn't appreciate being forced into doing something he didn't want to do. Why couldn't they just leave it alone? He did the only thing he could think of crossed his arms in front of his chest and pressed his lips together with as much force as he could muster.

Gray rolled his eyes at Natsu's immature behavior and weighed his options, he didn't trust himself to get into a brawl with the idiot. They always fought too rough and he didn't want to risk hurting Natsu or the baby. He could try tickling him to get his mouth to open but that would require touching the dragon slayer's body and he wasn't about to do that without asking for permission. He didn't think he could force his mouth open without losing a finger so he came up with a different plan. He really hoped this mate business was really for life because it might take him that long to apologize for what he was about to do. He wished they could just tell Natsu what was going on, they all felt guilty keeping the truth from him. He promised himself that he would tell Natsu about the pregnancy after they finished the mission. He motioned Erza to approach Natsu from behind as he walked straight towards him. Wendy followed him, medicine cup in hand.

"Last chance, Pyro".

Natsu responded by pressing his lips together even tighter. It would be almost endearing if Gray wasn't so irritated with him right now. He waited for Erza to immobilize the fool and then he leaned in and pressed his lips on the fire dragon slayer's in a chaste kiss. He backed away quickly and looked at the dragon slayer. As expected his mouth opened in shock and Wendy quickly forced the medicine in and closed his mouth while Erza made sure he swallowed the liquid. Everyone's face was red. Gray made the mistake of not moving far enough away quickly and was rewarded with a head butt from a pissed off Natsu.

"What the hell man?", Natsu looked at him with an expression somewhere between hurt and anger.

Gray felt guilty as he held his aching head. He tried to talk to him but Natsu quickly went and sat with Lucy letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was not wanted at the moment. Wendy went to join them, the color in her cheeks finally returning to normal.

Erza looked at him with a smile, her cheeks still a little red. "That was an interesting technique."

"I couldn't risk hitting him."

"Don't look so worried, he'll forget all about it once he feels better. He's not exactly one to hold grudges.", Erza comforted him.

They sat together in silence when suddenly she asked teasingly, "Been wanting to do that long?" She looked at Gray with a knowing grin.

"What, no!", he lied through his teeth. Erza just laughed at him. He had certainly imagined kissing Natsu many times over the years but not like this, it was supposed to be something enjoyable that the two of them wanted. He did not have a lot of experience but he was pretty sure their relationship was not off to a good start.

They sat and waited for another thirty minutes to give the medicine time to take effect. The change in the fire mage was obvious. He became more cheerful and he ate all the food that he could get his hands on. They cleaned up and continued walking toward Warrod's house. Natsu did not mention anything about the kiss to Gray but they bickered constantly the rest of the way there. Gray wasn't sure whether that meant he was forgiven or Natsu was finding a way to fight with him that woudn't get them in trouble with Erza. Either way, it was normal and at least they were talking.

After meeting the renowned Wizard Saint there was one thing that Natsu and Gray could definitely agree on. Warrod Sequen was a very strange man. He had an odd sense of humor, he never said what he meant at first and he claimed almost everything out of his mouth was a joke. None of it was funny and it was very tiring to try to keep up with. He finally got around to telling them about the job request he wanted the boys for.

Warrod Sequen practiced Green Magic and after he had retired he had set about reclaiming green lands from the desert as a hobby. In his travels he had come upon a village called the Village of the Sun. Its residents had worshipped an Eternal Flame as a guardian god. When he had arrived at the village, Warrod had found everything frozen over in a strange ice. The people, animals and plants were frozen but they were still alive. The job was to save the village. Natsu's fire and Gray's ice would both be needed for this task. The boys looked at each other and quickly accepted.

That's how they found themselves riding a tree that the Wizard Saint had created with his Green Magic all the way to their destination. The tree itself moved like a living creature which apparently made it so Natsu didn't get motion sick, although that could also be the effects of Porlyusica's medicine in his system. Either way Natsu was elated at being able to enjoy traveling for once. Having grown up with dragons he and Wendy were more used to this type of travel but their friends were fascinated by the sights and feeling of soaring through the sky on a living creature. The tree finally deposited them at the entrance to the Sun Village and they all got off.

Warrod had not exaggerated, everywhere they looked things were covered in ice. At first they could not find the people but they soon realized that the village they had been sent to save was inhabited by giants. Natsu had thought that this job would be easy, the perfect thing to get him feeling back to normal about his abilities but when he tried to use his fire magic to melt the ice nothing happened no matter how much power he applied to his flames. Gray was not able to melt it with his ice magic either.

xxx

Natsu had been running for what seemed like a long time, he had been turned into a child and he had recovered his normal size only to return to the body of a child again. It didn't matter. He kept running, trying to find the source of the voice he had heard in the unfrozen ground. It was calling to him and he recognized it even though he couldn't remember from where. He just had to find it. That's how he found himself standing in front of a huge mountain of ice. Lucy and Wendy were here as was Flare from Raven Tail. He knew that should concern him a little, just like not knowing where Erza, Gray, and Happy were should concern him but his mind was too full of this voice to worry about anything else.

He looked at the mountain in growing confusion. He could still hear that voice beckoning him, although he couldn't make out any actual words. He thought it was Flare who told him it wasn't a mountain, it was really a large frozen flame. It was the Eternal Flame and somehow it was reaching out to him. Natsu was in awe imagining how much power was required to maintain a fire so large indefinitely. That's when Gray, Happy and Carla sped towards them fear clear in their faces as they were being chased by a gigantic one-eyed flying monster.

Natsu felt something inside him break open then, a rage so blinding it felt almost primal. Every emotion he had ever felt before paled to this. That thing dared to attack **his** mate. All the petty anger he had felt earlier at the little trick Gray had pulled to get him to take his medicine dissolved the moment he felt the ice mage was in actual danger. Some of what he was feeling must have shown on his face because Gray stopped running and looked at him, a question already on his lips.

Natsu stopped him and asked "Can you do something with this ice? I still can't melt it. If you can melt the ice surrounding the flame Flare thinks we can save the village"

"I think I might be able to.", Gray said with more confidence than he actually felt. He had been able to channel the strange ice magic through his body to defeat the demon he had fought earlier. He thought that he could do the same to melt the ice but the sheer volume of it was daunting! He looked at Natsu and realized that the fire mage was going to take on the creature. He wanted to protest worried that Natsu or the child might get hurt, but he accepted this was who they were, who they'd always been. No matter how they might feel about each other they would always run towards danger. They would always put other's safety ahead of their own. He sighed and willed his mate to be alright.

"Just be careful, Flame Breath."

"Don't let me down, Ice Princess."

Natsu grinned at him with his usual recklessness and they slapped their hands as they walked away from each other intent on their tasks. Natsu looked at the one eyed creature and felt that fury reclaim him. He launched himself into the air and started to pummel the monster. He tried to focus on the fight and not on the screams that were coming from Gray as he tried to melt the ice surrounding the flame but he got distracted and the creature hurled him at the ground. He lay there for a moment getting his breath back.

"NATSU!", Gray and Lucy screamed his name with more concern than usual.

"Don't worry about me, just get the Eternal Flame back so we can save the village." The creature stupidly threw him in the air and he took advantage of the height to attack him with a "Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame"

Natsu heard his friends distressed voices and looked to see the ice gone. Where was the flame? He didn't have time to worry as the monster came at him yet again. The thing was a lot tougher than it looked.

xxx

"Could it be? But how?"

Igneel felt a presence he had not felt in a long time. It was very weak but he would recognize his friend anywhere. What was Atlas doing here? He had left him behind 400 years ago.

Kai felt his grandfather's interest and his curiousity was aroused. Igneel had made it a point to not get involved in Natsu's affairs unless it was life or death so to see him paying attention meant that something important was going on.

"What's happening, is Father fighting?", Kai asked excitedly.

"Yes he is but that's not what's unusual. The dragon Atlas Flame, I can feel him out there although he's weak."

"A fire dragon like you? How can you see what's happening?"

Igneel had purposefully not shown Kai how to see the outside world through Natsu's eyes. Kai was too impulsive, just yesterday he had invaded Natsu's memories and Igneel didn't trust him not to intervene if he saw his father in trouble. He knew that Natsu was strong and that his emotions made him even stronger when needed but Kai was too attached to the idea of his father to hold back, especially considering how he currently felt about Tiamat. On the other hand, he had been training the boy to help his father and this seemed like a good opportunity to test his theory.

"Let's try something. Close your eyes." He cast the spell required to temporarily connect Kai with Natsu's senses. "Now open them, what do you see?"

"A large flying creature is coming at us."

"Can you feel where your father's magic flows through him?", Igneel waited for Kai's nod before continuing. "I want you to focus your energy and send it to that place. You magic energy will join with his and that will amplify his power. In effect you will be fighting together."

xxx

'What is this presence that I sense?' Wendy Marvell focused on the residual energy she felt. It was emanating from the small flame that was all that remained of the Eternal Flame.

"It's still alive!", she cried with excitement, "Natsu's fire could bring it back!" They might still be able to rescue the village after all.

"Natsu!...", they tried to get his attention away from the monster but he had been listening and was already responding.

"I'm on it, we can bring it back!" He fought with even more determination than before, the fate of the village now depended on his fire. He kicked and punched. He threw spell after spell until the creature was a burnt up mess in the middle of the altar but he still needed to fuel the flame. He was tired, the monster had not gone down easy, but he had to give this all he had left.

He channeled all of his remaining energy to execute one last spell.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade" Natsu sent an enormous barrage of flames at the small fire that sat in the center of the altar. It immediately roared to life, the flames quickly growing to the size of a mountain.

He landed on the ground and looked at his hand in shock. There was no way he had that much power left. It had also felt just a bit different than his regular magic. What had just happened?

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Milky Way"

Natsu looked at Wendy in confusion.

xxx

"Did you see that grandfather? Did you see what we did?" Kai jumped up and down excitedly like the small child that he still was. He was euphoric, he had done something and it had had effects on the outside world and he had helped his father in the process. He could not wait to be out there himself, fighting side by side with his parents.

"Yes I did, you did very well Kai! Thanks to you, they will be able to save the village." Igneel smiled at the boy with affection. He knew the time to fight Acnologia was drawing near. Even though he was not happy with how Kai came to be he was glad that he had spent this time with the boy. He hoped it would be enough to save him from following his mother's path. He released the spell he had cast and separated the boy from his father's senses plunging him back into the darkness they shared.

xxx

"Son of Igneel, I am glad to see you again.", Atlas Flame greeted Natsu.

"Uncle!", Natsu said excitedly, "You went back in time. How are you still alive?"

"I am no longer alive, although I remember being so once. I burned for a long time."

"Can you tell us what happened in this village that caused it to turn to ice?", Flare asked the Flame dragon.

Atlas told them about the man that came to the village. He had thought the Eternal Flame was a demon and had frozen the village to eliminate him. The man had used devil slayer magic. None of the mages had ever heard of it.

Flare begged Atlas to save the village that he had stood guard over for so long and he remembered the truth in her words. He **had** created the village for the giants and he would gladly burn one last time to save them.

"I will use what is left of my soul, along with the fires of the son of Igneel and his own son to save all the life in this village. It is a worthy last act, worthy of a red dragon."

The heat of Atlas' hellfire expanded reaching all the frozen figures and structures in the village. Everything melted as Atlas burnt himself out.

"What do you mean about my son? I don't have a son!", Natsu asked in confusion.

"Never mind that, I have one last thing to tell you Son of Igneel.", Atlas' voice became fainter as his consciousness began to disappear from this world, "400 years ago Igneel couldn't defeat END, the most wicked demon in the book of Zeref. This task must fall to you. Goodbye, Son of Igneel you were well met."

With that he was gone. Natsu looked sad as he lost another dragon that he had considered family. Gray and Lucy were looking at him but instead of the sadness he expected to see in their eyes there was only guilt.

"Why are you looking at me like that?", Natsu asked them his heart beating rapidly. He had a feeling he would not like what they had to say.

"Natsu, I don't know how to tell you this but...", Lucy started but Gray interrupted her.

"Let me. Lucy, can you and Happy go check on Erza please? Wendy, please stay."

Wendy looked at him nervously. She had no idea what was going on and she thought she should go check on the giants to make sure they were ok, but if Gray wanted her to stay she would.

"Natsu, you're pregnant.", Gray told him gently.

"That's not funny, bastard.", Natsu looked at him waiting to hear what Gray really wanted to tell him.

"But Gray-san, Natsu-san is a boy how can that even be possible?", Wendy could see that Gray was indeed serious but it was impossible wasn't it? She now understood why the ice mage had asked her to stay behind. She approached the Fire Dragon Slayer and used her magic to feel into his body. She gasped, there was indeed another life form inside of him. She looked at Natsu sadly and nodded.

"I'm serious, Natsu. The solution that Tiamat made you drink, it was meant to get you pregnant. The medicine that Porlyusica is making you take masks your symptoms. She didn't think you could handle the news right away on top of everything else that happened to you."

 _"You and I are going to be bound together"_

Is that what Tiamat had meant when she had said that to him? Had that been her plan all along?

 _"Gajeel, stop it! Are you out of your mind? You can't fight with him in his condition."_

"How long have you known?", Natsu looked at him accusingly, "Does everybody know?"

"Since the day you woke up in the guild. Porlyusica figured it out and tested you. Gramps forbade us from telling you or even talking about it until the old woman said it was ok. They tested Sting too but it looks like she only did that to you."

"I don't think everyone knows, Natsu-san, I didn't.", Wendy told him. She wasn't sure how to feel about that at the moment.

"You and Gajeel were upstairs with Natsu when we found out.", Gray explained, "Maybe you should go check on the giants now. We'll head over there when he's ready."

Wendy nodded, she couldn't really think of anything to say that would be helpful. Even though Natsu and Gray fought constantly she had seen over time that they were very close. She would trust Gray to handle it and she would keep the others away from them for now. She made her way towards the center of the village where the giants seemed to be setting up a party. She was glad they were alright but she didn't really feel like celebrating at the moment.

"I'm really pregnant?", Natsu said in a small voice. He slumped onto the ground, his mind already returned to his capture. Would he never be free from it? He wanted to be angry but he just felt numb and helpless to this new torture Tiamat had thrust upon him. He knew then without a doubt that she would come back for him. He had told Gray before that he would not go back to her, he would die fighting if he had to but now he realized that she would never let that happen while he was carrying her child. It was only a matter of time.

Gray sat down next to him. He gave him some time to absorb the news before he tried to comfort him. It was a lot to take in. He wished none of this had happened to Natsu. He wished that he could just give that evil woman the same pain she had caused Natsu and maybe some day he would do just that. He wished most of all that she had kept him out of the whole mess so that he could be everything Natsu needed right now. Instead she had paraded as him and hurt his mate horribly while wearing his body and now he wasn't even sure how much comfort Natsu could derive from him. He wanted to make all his anguish go away but he could barely get close to him.

When he saw the first tears fall he asked Natsu if he could touch him. Natsu looked at him carefully and seemed to consider the question a long time before finally nodding. Gray put his arms around him and brought him towards his chest. He ran his hands through Natsu's hair trying to calm him down but the fire mage began to sob and then the sobs turned into anguished screams. All the pain, the fear, humiliation and despair of those three days that he had been holding in for the last month finally started to come out. Gray continued to hold him as he let Natsu get it all out. Silent tears began to stream down his own eyes as he finally understood just how deep Natsu's pain really ran. They sat there together for a long time. Erza had quickly shown up at Natsu's screams but Gray waved her away and she grudgingly sat in the distance keeping a watchful eye over the two of them. When Gray thought that Natsu had calmed down enough he started to talk.

"Neither one of us is very good at talking about feelings. We've spent years beating the crap out of each other just to avoid doing so. I can tell you this much, you're not alone. I promise you we'll get through this together. We'll have this kid and he will be ours and he will be the toughest little bastard anyone has ever seen. He will be the one good thing to come out of this mess. Well that and us."

"But he's not ours. He belongs to her and she is going to want to take him.", Natsu protested.

"He **is** ours. She used my body to put him inside you so the way I see it he's as much mine as he is yours. Let her try to come and take him I can guarantee that no one in Fairy Tail will let her get away with taking you or our son away."

xxx

Phew! He finally knows, which is a good thing since everyone else does too. Thank you once again to EclipsingParadise and SilverWhiteDragon for your reviews. I really enjoy reading your thoughts. I am in a really good mood today I went to Hot Topic and they had Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla Pop's out. I now have all of them. Funny story once I had opened them and they had joined Natsu, Lucy and Happy my son grabbed Natsu and Gray and next thing you know they were kissing. I'm not sure what that means but it was very cute :).


	17. The Dream

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 16: The Dream

Natsu opened his eyes to see a pair of dark blue eyes gazing at him. He smiled sleepily at Gray. The two of them were laying on a bed in a room he did not recognize. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here but everything in the room was sized for a giant so he assumed they must be staying in the house of one of the villagers they had saved. Before he realized what he was doing he had moved his body closer to Gray's and snuggled up to him.

"Good morning.", Gray smiled at him surprised by the unexpected affection but happy to receive it. He wrapped his arms around the fire mage and held him close.

"Good dream? You were smiling in your sleep."

"Hmmm. You and I were going fishing with Happy and this little boy. He had pink hair like me but eyes like yours.", Natsu's olive eyes sparkled as he shared his dream with the ice mage.

"We, well mostly you, had been trying to teach him how to put bait on the hook of the fishing rod but he was much more interested in jumping into the river and splashing us. He liked it when I used my fire to dry us off. He was laughing happily and all the fish were scared away. Happy was furious with him and started to scold him but then the little boy just waved his hands over the water and fish started jumping into his hands. He caught them and handed them all over to Happy as an apology. Happy looked like he was getting ready to kiss him, I think he might have even forgotten all about Carla at that moment."

Gray snorted at that, Happy did love his fish.

"Then the little boy grabbed our hands and we swung him up in the air between us as we walked back from the river. He was giggling and we were both smiling down at him. When he started to get tired you scooped him up and carried him on your shoulders while we walked hand in hand until we got home. We went inside and you put him down for a nap on the couch. Then you put your arms around me and kissed me."

Natsu's cheeks heated up as he remembered how Gray's kiss had made him feel in the dream. It had been nothing like the awkward peck from the previous day.

"That does sound like a very nice dream.", Gray was relieved at the excitement in his mate's voice. He imagined what the life in Natsu's dream might be like and found that he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would. They were both still young but it wasn't like they would ever get this chance again. He just wished that the circumstances had been different. They also hadn't talked about the fact that the kid was probably not going to be a normal kid but that could wait. Natsu was happy right now and that was frankly more than what he had expected after the way he reacted the night before.

He looked at the heat coloring Natsu's face and he felt a strong desire to kiss him like his dream self had. He wanted to be the one causing his mate to blush like that. "Can I kiss you?", Gray asked Natsu shyly.

Natsu, emboldened by the dream responded by kissing him instead. It was so much better than the kisses he'd received from Tiamat pretending to be Gray, better even than the fading sensation from his dream. He was enveloped by his mate's comforting smell and the refreshing coolness of his body. He could feel Gray's emotions rising to meet his own as their lips met and he never wanted the moment to end. He felt his body responding to the kiss and the feel of Gray's body on his and a groan burst forth from his throat unexpectedly. He moved away in embarassment as Gray laughed at him.

"It's ok, Natsu.", he assured him , "I feel the same way. We should get up anyway, we didn't eat dinner last night. I'm starving."

Natsu's stomach started rumbling as well once he started thinking about food.

"Can you hand me the vile poison from the old hag?", Natsu asked Gray who was standing near his bag.

Gray got Natsu's medicine from his bag and poured it into the dosage cup for him. He handed it over but Natsu made no move to drink it. Gray looked at him with curiousity.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Aren't you going to kiss me so I'll take it?", Natsu looked at Gray with a mischievous grin.

"Gladly, but don't get used to it, Flame Brain.", he put one arm around Natsu's waist to pull him closer and the other behind his head. He leaned in to place another kiss on Natsu's lips. This time it was Gray who let out a small groan. They did not hear the rest of their team entering the room.

"You liiiiiiiiiiiiiike each other!"

Erza and Happy snickered at seeing the two of them in that position and they quickly broke apart at the sound, both embarassed to be caught. Wendy's face was the color of the pickled plums she detested but she was smiling, happy for her Natsu-san.

"Honestly, there are young girls present.", Carla voiced her displeasure but a small smile could be seen tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"So all these years, all the fighting and the insults that was because you liked each other?", Erza asked them. She was somewhat annoyed thinking of how much more peaceful her life would have been if they had just owned up to their feelings years ago.

They both scratched their heads nervously and smiled at their oldest friend.

"Not all of it? Some of it was just fun.", Natsu replied. Gray nodded in agreement. Fighting each other was something they both enjoyed, it was unlike fighting anyone else. They knew each other's moves so well that they always had to be at their best to keep up and if they wanted to win they had to be especially creative.

"Wow, that's great you guys.", Lucy smiled at her two friends but the sadness in her eyes betrayed her true feelings, "I'm going to go get some food." She turned and left the room quickly. The rest of the team, with the exception of Natsu, looked at each other sadly.

"What's wrong with her?", Natsu asked with concern.

Gray and Erza looked at him in disbelief, could he really not be aware of Lucy's feelings for him?

"You really don't know?", Gray asked his mate. Seriously, could any person really be that oblivious? Gray had been expecting to one day soon be in her position so he understood her feelings very well. He felt badly for her but he couldn't feel guilt at finally being with the boy he'd loved for longer than even he would like to admit.

"Know what? If you know what's wrong with her you should just tell me."

He drank his medicine and shuddered at its vile taste, now that he knew what it was for he would continue to take it until it was no longer needed. He knew from experience that he could not fight when he was nauseous and he needed to be in top shape for the upcoming battles. That dream had felt so real and he had been so happy with his family. He held on to that feeling and to the image of the little boy, afraid that if he let it go he would somehow lose him to Tiamat. Last night he had fallen into despair but now he was determined to do anything to make that dream his reality. He hoped that after this was all over he would find Igneel and show him both Gray and their son. He smiled in excitement at the thought of Igneel's reaction. He still couldn't believe that he and Gray were together.

"Natsu, Lucy has had feelings for you for a long time. Until today we thought you returned them.", Erza told him. She knew that he would never hurt Lucy on purpose but even she had to admit that if she had not know him all these years she would have believed that Natsu was in love with Lucy.

"Me and Lucy? Why would anyone think that?", Natsu looked truly confused by the idea.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you take missions alone with her all the time. You also sneak into her room at night and sleep with her on her bed. You always stand way too close to her. Not to mention you spend all your free time with her, you're constantly rescuing her and you're more concerned about getting money for her damn rent than you are about earning jewel for yourself so you're always broke. You tore a ginormous tree out of South Gate Park for her, Natsu. Why would anyone possibly think you were interested in her?", Gray finished sarcastically having listed every single reason he had ever been jealous of Natsu's friendship with Lucy.

Natsu looked at Gray in surprise. "You were jealous of Lucy? She's like a sister."

"You had no problem kissing her when Asuka asked you to.", Happy reminded him.

"I didn't like her like that so it wasn't a big deal, and I didn't actually do it."

"Only because she shoved me in your face.", Happy whined, "I still have nightmares about it."

'Damnit Happy, why'd you have to bring that up now?', Natsu thought as he physically felt the glare Gray was sending his direction.

"You guys are really sure she likes me?", Natsu asked his friends, still having trouble believing it.

"YES!"

"What should I do?", he was not used to dealing with this type of situation. He felt nervous and uncomfortable. He didn't really like to have conversations about feelings and he didn't think Lucy would appreciate his preferred method of conflict resolution.

"You'll have to talk to her but maybe give her some time to herself first, and show a little restraint around her for a while.", Erza advised and then she asked Gray what she really wanted to know. "How long has this been going on? When you kissed him yesterday I didn't realize it was a regular occurrence."

"Since right before we got Warrod's job request, but no one knows except for Gramps.", Gray told her.

"And Gajeel."

"You told Gajeel?!"

"He figured it out, he's the only one who knew how I felt about you."

"Fine, Gramps and Gajeel and now you guys but I would really like to leave it at that. We have enough to deal with right now. Can we please go get something to eat now? I'm seriously starving.", Gray grumbled. He didn't like this many people knowing about them, he had wanted to keep it their secret for a bit longer.

Flare and the giants had made enough food for even Natsu to not be able to finish it all. They had a pleasant breakfast even though Gray felt a twinge of guilt when Flare told him that Lucy had already eaten and had chosen to explore the village by herself. He cared about Lucy and he didn't want their friendship to end just because Natsu had chosen him as his mate. Maybe he should also make a point of talking to her later. They asked the giants about the Devil Slayer Atlas had mentioned but they didn't seem to remember anything about him other than he was an Ice Devil Slayer.

"When I was fighting the Succubus Eye guy he said something about how we opened the gates to the Underworld.", Gray remembered. He had not understood what that meant.

"You mean Tartaros?", Erza asked.

"Hell if I know.", Gray shrugged it off.

After breakfast, they said their goodbyes and headed back to Warrod's to let him know they had completed their job and collect their reward. They hoped that maybe he would have some useful information on the Devil Slayer or the demon END.

Without Warrod's Green Magic the journey back to his house took a lot longer. Natsu tried to talk to Lucy a few times but every time he tried to get close to her she would quickly walk away from him and towards someone else in their group. Natsu would walk away with a miserable look on his face, not knowing what to do. Gray watched this go on a few times before he'd had enough. When he saw Natsu talking with Wendy he made his way over to Lucy.

"How long are you going to keep this up? He's trying to talk to you about something that's clearly uncomfortable for him and you are acting like a spoiled child."

"You're the last person I want to talk to about this, Gray."

"Well you won't to talk to him and clearly you need to talk to somebody so why not me?"

"You don't understand."

"I think you are the one who doesn't understand, Lucy. Think about everything that he's been through in the last month. He just started to get comfortable around us again, to get back to normal, and now you are shutting him out just because he doesn't return your feelings. He is a big part of your life and you're going to end up pushing him away. Is that what you really want, because it's not really what he needs right now."

"Clearly, he is more comfortable around some of us than others."

Gray sighed in defeat. "You know, I never expected to be the one he picked. For years I had prepared myself for the moment he would realize he was in love with someone else. I always wanted him to be happy even if it wasn't with me. If he had picked you, I would never have cut him out of my life no matter how much it hurt, because his friendship is too important to me. Maybe you should think about what he really means to you."

"Years?"

"Yes, Lucy. Years. You should think about what I said." He walked away from her and went to where Natsu and Wendy were still walking together. They both looked at him and smiled. Natsu grabbed his hand and held it in his. He told Gray in a soft voice, " I really wish I had known how you felt about me back then."

"I don't think you were ready to accept it back then."

They kept walking in silence until they reached Warrod's house.

xxx

Igneel sat in his cave watching Kai sleep. He thought about what he had just done and hoped that he had not made a mistake. He had promised himself that he would not interfere with Natsu's life unless it was to keep him from dying before they could put their plan in place but but none of this was supposed to happen. Tiamat was not supposed to have been resurrected, Kai should have never existed and Natsu, well Natsu should have not had to experience the horrors that he did all because Tiamat recognized Igneel inside of him. These were things they could have never anticipated when they cast Dragon Soul and concealed their souls inside their Dragon Slayers.

When he had seen and felt Natsu's despair the previous evening he felt the need to do something. If Natsu had continued in that vein all of their plans might have shattered and their hopes of defeating Acnologia would have been destroyed. Not to mention he wasn't sure what it would do to Kai to have Natsu reject him. In the end neither Kai nor Natsu were at fault for what had happened and they needed to accept each other unconditionally if they were to have any kind of future. So he had crafted a dream for Natsu of Kai and what life could be for them in the future. He knew how badly Natsu wanted a family and he thought that if he could show him what his family could be like there was nothing Natsu wouldn't do to protect it. Kai deserved at least that much from him. All he could do now is hope that it was enough.

xxx

A/N Hopefully no one says Poor Natsu this time! Thanks to everyone that reaches out to me in any way and lets me know what they think about the story, you know who you are. It makes me want to come home and finish writing this chapter after the most exhausting day in recent memory rather than collapse in bed and go to sleep! Thank you.


	18. Threats

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Chapter 17: Threats

Warrod had not been able to give them very much information about E.N.D. or Tartaros. He had let them know, however, that Tartaros was a guild of demon worshippers that might have a demon from one of Zeref's Books at their command. They hurried back to Fairy Tail to report to the Master the results of their mission and inform him of the new threat.

During their journey not much changed between them. Lucy was still avoiding Natsu while Natsu and Gray tried to keep some distance between them out of respect for Lucy. The others tried to fill the unusual silence with idle chatter but they all wanted to arrive at the guild as soon as possible so they could escape the tense atmosphere. The train ride was possibly the worst as Natsu slept the whole way home with his head on Gray's lap. Gray was enjoying the closeness but his mood was soon ruined by Lucy's hostile stares. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep the rest of the ride home. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be able to put up with Lucy's behavior. They weren't doing anything wrong and truth be told he had been a part of Natsu's life for a lot longer than she had.

When they arrived in Magnolia Natsu transformed himself back into Cana just in case anyone had been paying attention to their departure and they began their walk back to the guild from the train station. The girls went on ahead and Natsu and Gray promised to be there shortly. Neither one of them missed the hurt look Lucy sent their way before she quickened her steps towards the guild.

Gray grabbed Natsu's hand and led him towards a bench. They sat down in companiable silence watching the people around them go about their day.

"We should talk about how we want to handle things with the guild.", Gray looked at Natsu with a serious expression, "Can you change back please? I feel weird holding hands with Cana."

Natsu laughed and released the magic that transformed him into the card mage. He massaged Gray's hand with his thumb affectionately. "Sure, Magnolia's rumor mill would have gone into overdrive if you'd kissed me."

Gray took that as permission to do just that and wasted no time in kissing his mate. Natsu returned the gesture, his lips pressing back fervently, relishing how all his nerve endings felt like they were tingling just from feeling Gray's lips pressing on his. They had not done that since they were caught by their friends, the most they had managed was occasionally holding hands while they walked but only when Lucy was ahead of them . All in all they hadn''t spent much time together since they had left the Sun Village and it was nice to just sit on a bench at the station. At last they separated and Gray brought up the topic again.

"How do you want to handle things with the guild?"

"What do you mean?", Natsu looked at him in confusion, "We should be the way we've always been. I don't want to have to pretend stuff, I'll probably forget anyway."

"You don't care if they find out about us?", Gray asked with concern, "Some of them might not approve you know. They might treat us differently."

"Meh, that's their problem not ours. I'm not saying we should make out in front of everyone but we should be able to be ourselves. If you want to hold my hand, hold it. If you want to kiss me, then do so just don't make a spectacle of us. Besides, I'm sure I'm already going to be treated differently when they find out about the kid.", he shrugged.

"Yeah, but that's different. You didn't have any choice in that, you were forced. This", Gray glanced at their joined hands, "this is a choice and it's not what people expect out of either of us."

"So what? I've never particularly cared what people think of me. Does it bother you that much?"

"A little, I worry that people are going to hate me because I took you away from Lucy."

"You didn't take me away from anyone. You're the only person I have ever thought of in this way. Are you worried that people are going to hate me because I took you away from Juvia? Fairy Tail's our family Gray, they either raised us or grew up with us. We've both been members of the guild far longer than Lucy or Juvia, and even if any of them are upset with us they'll come around or I'll beat them up until they do." Natsu's eyes lit up with excitement at the possibility.

Gray chuckled. Natsu firmly believed that a good fight could fix anything. He had to admit the dragon slayer was making sense for once, it wasn't their problem if people disapproved. If they came at them they could certainly take care of themselves but he thought their secret was safe for now. Gramps wouldn't tell anyone and Gajeel had been very protective of Natsu since he had been returned from his capture so he didn't think the Iron Dragon Slayer would be a problem. He had asked the others not to tell anyone and he trusted them not to, except he had a nagging feeling that there was something he was forgetting.

"Ok, you're right. We'll just be ourselves, but that means they're going to expect us to fight and start brawls."

"Yeah, so?"

"What do you mean so? I'm not about to beat up my pregnant boyfriend."

"As if you could, Ice Block. Hey, you just called me your boyfriend!", Natsu said with a happy expression.

"You can call me that too, you know.", Gray said while looking intently at the train schedules. "Alright, well we should probably get to the guild before they start to worry."

They got up and started to walk towards the guild. They hadn't gotten very far when they heard Romeo yelling out their names. They hurried to catch up with him.

"What's the matter Romeo?", Natsu asked the young fire mage.

"Gramps wants you back at the Guild now! Tiamat attacked while you were gone."

Gray and Natsu raced to the guild while Romeo tried to keep up with their longer strides. They reached the guild doors quickly and entered to see the wreckage left behind by the attack.

"What happened?", Gray asked as he tried to keep a close eye on Natsu's reactions. He saw him looking around the guild wildly.

Makarov spoke up. "She came in right after you left. She -"

"Where's Rogue?", Natsu's body was covered in a sheen of sweat and his breathing was coming in rapid bursts , "Did she take him?"

Gray looked around the guild but couldn't find the Shadow Dragon Slayer anywhere. He reached out to Natsu and grabbed his hand to try to calm him down. "Relax, I'm sure he's fine." He looked around for Sting to get confirmation.

Sting came forward and put his hands on Natsu's shoulders. "Natsu, look at me. He should be ok, Justin teleported him out of here before she could get him. We don't know where he was taken so we can't send a message to let them know it's safe to come back."

Sting looked at Natsu and Gray's intertwined hands and raised an eyebrow at them but didn't say anything. He remembered what Gajeel had said to Tiamat about Natsu belonging to someone else and as he realized that someone was Gray he felt like an asshole for some of the things he'd said to the Fire Dragon Slayer since he had arrived at Fairy Tail.

Makarov looked at Natsu with concern. It looked like he was having a panic attack.

"Listen boy, why don't you go see Porlyusica. She should check you."

"No, I'll.. I'll be fine. Just give me a minute.", he tried to control his breathing. He had been terrified that Tiamat had taken Rogue just like she had taken him. He didn't want any of those things to happen to his friend. Now that he knew this was not true he could calm down. "Keep going, Gramps."

Gray squeezed his hand and stayed by his side.

"Like I said she came in right after you all left. She was looking for Laxus and Rogue.", judging by Natsu's reactions he should wait to tell him that she had been looking for him too.

"She claimed that she would leave peacefully if they gave her their magic to absorb but they refused. That's when all hell broke loose. Her magic power was incredible. Justin tried to teleport Rogue and Laxus away but neither one of them would leave. Gajeel knocked Rogue out and they took him out that way. Laxus stayed to fight. She was able to defuse Fairy Law like it was nothing. Nothing we tried even made a dent against her spells. Laxus attacked her and she absorbed his magic that way. Gajeel was able to injure her but she teleported out before we could do any more damage and now she has access to four of her elements."

Laxus looked down at the floor. He had walked right into her trap and because of his mistake they were in even more danger than they were before.

Fried looked at him with concern and walked over to the Request Board. After looking at it for a few minutes he grabbed a notice and showed it to Mira. He approached the Lightning Dragon Slayer and showed him the slip of paper. He whispered in his ear and Laxus nodded. Fried beckoned Evergreen and Bickslow and they all quietly left the guild.

Erza looked shocked that both Laxus and the Master could be defeated so easily. This was clearly like no enemy they had faced before. How were they supposed to defeat her?

Makarov looked at Natsu, gaging whether he should say anything else.

Natsu met his gaze and said, "How did she get to Cobra?"

"I don't know. She claimed that he surrendered his magic to her willingly."

Natsu couldn't imagine why Cobra would do that. Then again he was in jail and might not be aware of the things she had done to the other dragon slayers. He looked around the guild and noticed that excepting his team mates, everyone was staring at him with an expression he couldn't readily recognize. He tried to puzzle it out and then it hit him, it was pity.

"She was looking for me wasn't she?"

Makarov sighed and nodded. Lucy made a move to comfort him but noticed Gray's hand and was suddenly unsure. She backed away slowly and headed towards Levy.

Gray squeezed Natsu's hand harder trying to keep him grounded in the moment. He didn't want Natsu to dwell on his capture anymore. "Listen to me, you're in the guild. You're safe."

"Did anything else happen?"

Gajeel walked up to him and said quietly, "We'll talk about it later, ok?"

"No, I need to know now."

Gajeel debated his next move but he knew how stubborn the Salamander was, he wasn't just going to let it go just because Gajeel asked nicely. Even if it was for his own good. "It's just more of the mates business", Gajeel looked him in the eyes, "and she told everyone about your condition. I think she was planning on taking you with her."

"Oh." Well, that explained the pity.

He reached for the image of the little boy in his mind and he held on to it. Natsu, Gray, the little boy and Happy. They were going to get the future in his dream. They were going to be a family. He had seen it. He held on to that feeling as well. There was no way in hell Tiamat was going to take that away from them. All of Natsu's anger and protective feelings burst from him. There was no way she was getting her hands on him or this child. He would not be a plaything for Tiamat's enjoyment. He would have Gray as his mate. The temperature in the guild began to rise, quickly becoming oppressive. Natsu felt his body heat up and become covered in flames. He felt the scales appearing on his skin and his canines elongating. He had entered Dragon Force.

Gray let go of his hand as it became too hot for him to touch even using his ice magic.

"Natsu, calm down. She's gone. There's nothing to fight here.", Gray yelled but it did not seem Natsu was listening.

The other dragon slayers approached Natsu carefully and tried to get through to him. They did not want him to feel threatened. Finally, Wendy was able to talk him down enough for him to come out of his Dragon Force and Cana threw a sleep card at him for good measure. Natsu collapsed in a heap on the floor, instantly asleep. Makarov used his Giant magic to cradle him in his arms like a child and take him to the infirmary to see Porlyusica.

Gajeel walked up to Gray and talked to him quietly, "We need to figure out a way to make your claim on each other supersede hers and we need to do it soon. She means to take him and the kid away and I don't think she'll stop until she gets what she wants."

"How am I supposed to do that?", Gray asked, a touch of desperation in his voice. He did not want to lose Natsu now that he had just gotten him.

Gajeel just shrugged at him. They had not been able to find the answer to that question in the research materials available to them.

When the Master returned from the infirmary Erza,Lucy and Gray filled him in on the details of their mission and what they had learned about Tartaros from the Wizard Saint.

They were in trouble. They were facing off with an extremely powerful enemy who was after some of their strongest members and now they would need to confront Tartaros, a dark guild that worshipped demons and might be in control of a Book of Zeref with instructions to summon the strongest demon ever created by the Dark Wizard, E.N.D.

Sting looked at Makarov and said, "I think it's time we call in the God Slayers. I will contact Olga, you should get in touch with Lamia Scale."

Makarov nodded his assent. They both went in search of a quiet place to use their communication lacrimas when the doors of the guild burst open and Jet ran in with a newspaper.

"The Magic Council, IT'S GONE!", Jet yelled.

xxx

A/N Thanks for all the reactions to the last chapter. It was fun to hear some of your ideas and discuss them with you. Also, thanks to the guest reviewer, I hope you actually speak Spanish and that I didn't just send you to Google Translate. I'll be reading the manga for awhile to refresh my memory on Tartaros so it might take longer than usual for the next update. Feel free to drop me a line, I do actually enjoy talking to you.


	19. First Contact

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 18: First Contact

They all stared in shock as Jet told them there had been an explosion at the Magic Council headquarters in Era that had killed not only the nine members of the Magic Council but countless others that had been present in the building when it happened. The newspaper article did not mention who was responsible for the attack.

The following afternoon, just as they were getting used to the idea that this had really happened Freed arrived at the guild with a very ill Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen and Former Council Member Yajima.

"Please you have to help them, we were attacked by Tartaros.", Freed was besides himself with worry.

"Take them upstairs to Porlyusica.", Makarov called to Elfman, Gajeel, Gray and Macao to take the injured up to the infirmary. They all made their way upstairs to Porlyusica.

The commotion woke Natsu up from his magic induced slumber and he looked around him in confusion. He saw the beds now filled with Laxus and members of the Thunder Tribe as well as Mr. Yajima.

"What happened, is she back?" He got up from the bed looking tense.

"No Natsu, the Magic Council is gone and someone else attacked them. Someone from Tartaros.", Erza told him.

"Gone? Tartaros?", Natsu wondered just how long he had been out for all these things to have happened. He glanced over at Gray who looked angry and worried.

Makarov was talking to Porlyusica "Are they going to be alright?"

"I don't know, they've been infected with Devil particles. Laxus worst of all. Even a small amount can be deadly but they seem to be fighting it off for now. Only time will tell.", Porlyusica told Makarov in as gentle a tone as she could muster. She knew how much the old man loved his grandson and how happy he was to have him back in the guild once more.

Makarov made his way over to Freed and asked him "Freed, can you tell us what happened?"

Freed was not feeling so great himself but he had to let them know. "They are going after ex-council members too. Laxus stopped him... he ... saved... the..." Freed collapsed on the floor and they placed him on another bed. Makarov looked at him proud that he had gotten all the mages home even while suffering the effect of the devil particles himself. "Let's let them get some rest for now."

They all went downstairs to discuss the situation.

"They attacked our family Gramps, we need to show them what happens to those who make an enemy of Fairy Tail. We have to take the fight to them", Natsu yelled, not being able to contain his anger after seeing his friends injured.

"For once I'm with the hot head.", Gajeel was quick to agree.

"It would be stupid to attack them. We don't know the location of their guild or even who their members are.", Lucy pointed out.

"I don't like this. How are we supposed to fight a war on two fronts?", Makarov said with annoyance. They had no idea when Tiamat would pop up again to come after Natsu and Rogue. How could he protect them and engage this new enemy?

"We need to find the addresses of ex council members and try to protect them.", Makarov said.

"How are we supposed to do that? That information is classified.", Levy told them.

Loke stepped up with a grin and said, "I think I can help with that." He disappeared from the guild and returned twenty minutes later with four addresses.

Wendy smiled at him very impressed with his resourcefulness. "Wow, Loke-san how did you manage to do that?"

Loke walked over to the young girl and whispered in her ear. Whatever he said made both her and Carla blush furiously.

"Alright, we will divide into four groups Gray and Lucy, Elfman and Lisanna, Gajeel and Team Shadow Gear, and Natsu, Juvia and Wendy."

Juvia was already complaining loudly to anyone who would listen about not being partenered with her Gray-sama.

Makarov handed out an address to each group and the groups started to get ready to leave. Gray walked over to Makarov and said in as quiet a voice as he could manage. "Can I talk to you privately?"

Makarov looked at the expression on the ice mage's face and could already see where this was heading but decided to let him speak his piece. He led Gray up to his office. "What is it my son?"

"I want to be in the same group as Natsu."

"Gray, the groups are final. They are our best chance at success. If I put the two of you together another group will be under powered."

"But Gramps, what if Tiamat comes after him while he is headed there. I'm his mate. I'll have the best chance at keeping him and our kid safe."

"Our kid? So you have accepted the child as yours?", Makarov allowed himself a smile at how grown up his brats were getting but he had to face the facts. "Being Natsu's mate doesn't grant you any special powers. I understand your concern but what are you going to be able to do that Laxus and I couldn't, especially now that she is even more powerful."

Gray was hurt by Makarov's words but he saw that his guild master was not going to change his mind. "Can you at least partner me with someone else? Lucy is really not taking Natsu and I being together well."

"I already told you, I picked these groups because they were our best chance at success. You and Loke used to be partners and work well together. Would you rather I paired you up with Juvia instead?"

Gray shuddered, that might actually be worse.

"No? Then I suggest you make this a growing experience and work out your issues with Lucy on the way there."

Makarov could see the worry in the boy's face and put his hand on the ice mage's shoulder. "Trust in Natsu, Gray. I know that he has been through a lot lately and you want to protect him but he is far stronger than you are giving him credit for right now."

Gray nodded slowly and left the office. He made his way downstairs and was immediately met by a hopeful Juvia. "Gray-sama, were you able to get the master to place Juvia on your team?"

"What?... No." He walked away from her and looked for a flash of pink. He found him talking to Erza. He grabbed Natsu by the arm and led him outside towards the back of the guild where they could get some privacy.

Natsu kept his expression neutral as he took in Gray's concerned gaze.

"I want you to promise me that you'll be careful. If she comes after you, don't fight her. Run. Don't do anything stupid that will hurt you or him. " Gray put his hand on Natsu's stomach as he said this. It was the first time they'd physically acknowledged that there was a life growing inside of the dragon slayer. "When this is all done, I want to live that dream with you."

Natsu smiled at the ice mage, happy to see that he felt the same way about that future but he had to be honest. "I can't promise you that. You know how I fight. If someone comes after the council member I will go all out to protect him."

"I will seriously kick your ass if you get hurt."

Natsu snorted at that. "I have to leave soon. Are you going to be ok with Lucy?"

"I was told I don't have a choice."

"Maybe it won't be so bad. I think she's more upset at me anyway. I'd tell you I'll miss you but I get the feeling I'm going to be hearing a lot about you the whole way there."

They gazed at each other knowing that it would be a while before they would see the other again. Natsu moved towards Gray and held the ice mage in a warm embrace. Gray pressed his forehead against Natsu's for a few minutes and then kissed him wishing that he could go with the fire mage. They held the kiss for as long as they could and then it was time to go.

"I'll see you soon, Popsicle", Natsu grinned at him, "Be safe and kick some ass."

Gray nodded and watched him go. He made his way back inside the guild to find Lucy. He was immediately grabbed by Gajeel who led him to a table where Levy was sitting barely containing her excitement.

Gajeel clapped Gray on the back. "Shrimp thinks she found something that might be able to supersede Tiamat's claim on the Salamander."

Without giving any thought to what might be involved he said, "Just tell me what I have to do."

Levy quickly began translating from an old book titled "The Order of the Flame". Gray became more and more excited and he thought that Levy was right. This might work after all.

Lucy listened to Levy's words from a neighboring table with a sinking heart. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized just how far Gray was willing to go to save Natsu. She finally understood what he had been trying to tell her during their walk to Warrod's house and she was embarrassed at how she had behaved towards them. She should have been happy for them, she should have let Natsu talk to her. Natsu was her friend, possibly her best friend and he had always gone out of his way to make her happy and keep her safe. She should do the same for him. She made a decision then...it was time for her to move on. If she was honest with herself the fire mage had never given her any real indication that he was interested in her. She rose from her table and made her way over to the group. She grabbed Gray's arm and as he turned in her direction she gave him a small smile and looked him in the eyes.

"How can I help?"

xxx

Natsu, Juvia, Wendy and the Exceeds made their way to Former Council Member Michello's house. Natsu wished for the hundredth time that the council member lived closer because as much as he loved his mate if he had to listen to the rain woman go on about him any further he was going to destroy something. Wendy watched the irritated look on his face and tried very hard not to burst into giggles.

"Juvia, could you please talk about something else, anything else for awhile?", Natsu pleaded with the rain woman.

"Juvia is sorry. It's just that Gray-sama needs me. Why would the master send him on a job with Love Rival? What if she tries to steal him away from me, my poor prince will be defenseless to her charms.", she worried. Her eyes began to get that far off look that meant she was entering her bizarre fantasy world.

Natsu tried to head off the nonsense that would start spouting from her mouth by giving her a dose of reality. "How many times do we have to tell you? Lucy is not interested in Gray like that.", Natsu told her but it was too late. Juvia had already begun weaving her tale. He sighed in frustration, he almost told her about the two of them being mates just to get her to shut up but wisely stopped himself. What a mess there was between the four of them. He was happy with Gray but he truly regretted the pain it had brought Lucy and would soon bring the rain woman.

"I think it's that house over there.", Wendy pointed at a modest house on a quiet street. Natsu almost cheered at finally arriving at their destination. He knocked on the door forcefully.

The door was opened by a young woman who invited them inside. They thanked her and entered the house. A short man who looked somewhat like a cat looked at them with hostility as he eyed Natsu's Fairy Tail tattoo.

"What are you doing here?", Michello barked at them.

Natsu cursed under his breath. Of course it had to be this one. He remembered him from some of the times he had been under the scrutiny of the Magic Council before Tenrou. He was not a fan of Fairy Tail.

Natsu looked at Wendy willing her to answer. He was pretty sure this guy hated his guts. Wendy took the hint.

"We've been sent here to protect you. The guild that took out the Magic Council is also going after former council members.", Wendy informed the grouchy man.

"Don't you mean to say that you would like to use me as bait to draw out members from this guild?", Michello said as he began to shove Wendy towards the door.

Carla did not appreciate his tone or his rough handling of her dragon slayer so she said in her haughtiest tone. "They will come for you whether we are here or not. I suggest you let them try to protect you from the threat."

"Grandfather, you are being rude. These people are trying to help you.", his granddaughter Michellia chastised him but he looked unconcerned.

"Do you have any idea why they would be going after former Council Members?", Juvia asked in her most polite tone.

"I can think of a million reasons. I have helped to put away a multitude of mages, even tried to get that one behind bars.", Michello pointed at Natsu.

"I hardly think anyone would be killing council members for something so petty. There must be something else. Think! You must know something.", Carla implored.

Natsu's head snapped towards the door and he started sniffing the air with interest.

"Well, how should I know? I haven't been involved with the Council for years. I retired to live with my granddaughter. Unless it was...Face."

Natsu started running towards them and screamed, "Everybody get down!" as he grabbed Juvia and Wendy in a flying tackle. "Juvia, douse everyone with your water. Now!" He quickly reached Michello and Michellia and tackled them to the ground as well.

Juvia looked at him in confusion but she trusted his battle instincts so she did as she was told.

"Wave"

Immediately a wave of water materialized and broke over all of them. They felt incredible heat and saw a bright light which was quickly followed by a loud explosion. The roof of the house blew up and disappeared over them as debris began to fall.

"Is everyone ok?", Wendy asked. They all seemed to be unharmed and she was surprised by that until she heard a large belch and saw Natsu's distended stomach. Natsu had eaten the explosion.

"How are you still alive? You should be in pieces." They followed the voice to a strange looking man standing on one of the house's remaining support beams. He was of average height with blond hair that formed two ears at the top of his head. He had black spotted markings underneath his right eye and his hands were black with markings that traveled up his forearms. He wore a spotted cowl around his neck and had a long tail. He looked annoyed that his attack hadn't had the intended effect.

Natsu made the connection and was immediately wary. "Are you the one who blew up the Magic Council?"

"Guilty as charged!"

"Are you with Tartaros?"

The assassin only grinned in response.

"Who is that man?", Michello asked in a panic.

"He's with the Tartaros guild, he's been sent to kill you. We must get you out of here, now!", Juvia told him.

Wendy added, "We've no time to waste. Natsu can handle him."

Natsu kept his eye on the threat but was helpless to stop him from unleashing a myriad of explosions all around the town, destroying buildings and creating panic among the residents. Natsu became furious and quickly made his way to the support beam to engage him directly.

"Explode"

The man unleashed his attack directly on Natsu but once again the dragon slayer was able to eat the explosion. Once he had him in his sights Natsu wasted no time using his Fire Dragon Slayer magic on him. The man landed on the ground from the force of Natsu's hits. He started laughing.

"Damn! You are the first to give me such a challenge. I should warn you though-"

Natsu punched him in the face interrupting what he had been trying to say. He pummeled him over and over with his fists venting his rage from the attack on Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe. The man only laughed louder.

Natsu felt his arm heating up and looked down to see it glowing as it exploded. He screamed in pain.

"I was trying to tell you that anyone who touches me becomes a bomb. It's part of my curse power. How many hits do you think you got in?

Natsu's body continued exploding over and over until he lay on the ground unmoving.

"Huh! I would have thought his body would be in pieces after all those bombs. I have to admit, I'm impressed.", he spared Natsu a look."Now, where were we?"

"Natsu!", Wendy screamed. She really hoped he was alright. She called forth her Dragon Slayer magic and began her attack trying to move the man away from the injured dragon slayer.

"Sky Dragon Roar"

Juvia yelled at Michello to run. She also tried to attack. All of their efforts were fruitless as the assassin unleashed explosion after explosion preventing their attacks from ever reaching him.

"Your attacks are useless against me. Your paltry magic has no chance against my curses." He let out an attack that had both of them flying backwards.

Michello ran as quickly as his small frame would allow to try to get help from the townspeople. The assassin immediately chased after him.

"Wendy, heal Natsu. He is the only one who's been effective against him. I will try to hold him off somehow until you're done." Wendy agreed and Juvia took off in pursuit of the assassin and the council member.

Wendy rushed to Natsu's side and began to heal the unconscious dragon slayer while Happy and Carla looked on.

xxx

"What the hell is that idiot son of mine doing?", Igneel ranted as the explosions were being felt inside of Natsu's body, shaking everything like an earthquake. He was fairly certain this was more than Natsu should be able to withstand even with his dragon lungs.

"Kai! You need to unmake your form, now! Go back to where we first met, I will join you soon."

"What is going on grandfather?"

"Just do it!"

Kai released the magic that formed his body and returned to his previous state. He wondered what was happening that had Igneel so upset. He hoped his father was alright, he had not felt anything like this before.

Igneel cast a protection spell on his grandson and released his own magic that gave him shape. He returned to find Kai waiting for him. They remained in silence waiting for the shaking to stop.

xxx

Juvia searched for any sign of Michello or the assassin as she ran through the town. She saw all the fires that were raging as a result of the earlier explosions and she began to collect water from the river as she ran. She controlled the flow of the water moving it to where it was most needed. She put out all the fires as she continued her search. She stopped as she caught a glimpse of the council member demanding protection from a townsperson. The man looked at Michello with scorn and walked away. She was about to move towards him when she was interrupted by a voice.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

She looked down at her feet and noticed a pulsing yellow circle. "What kind of magic is this?"

"I told you doll face, I don't waste my time with magic. I use curses, they're much stronger. You're standing on a Landmine curse. One move and BOOM!" The assassin laughed. "Now that I have your attention, let's have some fun!"

He created a bomb around Michello and levitated him in the air. Another bomb materialized around a beautiful young pregnant woman who had been standing in the crowd. It too levitated, when he was satisfied with both he looked at Juvia.

"Let's play a game, shall we? Two bombs. One will live and one will die. You get to pick which is which, doll face!"

The townspeople quickly dispersed at the mention of the word bomb.

Juvia looked on in horror at what the assassin was asking her to do. Both people trapped inside the bomb were pleading for their lives. She thought about what she could do, and she smiled with confidence.

Juvia turned her body into water. If the landmine exploded it should not be able to hurt her.

"Water Dome"

She quickly materialized enough water to create a dome of water around each of the bombs. She pushed the water in the dome applying pressure against the bomb's core. She thought she should be able to keep the core from exploding.

"I don't know what you're playing at Fairy Tail, but that's not going to work. You're running out of time. Who's it going to be the pregnant lady or the old man?", the assassin said but he didn't sound as sure as before.

"Water Slicer"

Juvia moved quickly as the assassin had to create another explosion to deflect her attack but it did not matter. At that moment Natsu appeared seemingly out of nowhere and landed a punch on the assassin's head. Wendy appeared soon after. She had sent the Exceeds to evacuate the town. She stood with Juvia and watched the fight progress while keeping an eye on Michello.

"Did you already forget? Anyone that touches me becomes a bomb."

"I didn't forget, it just doesn't matter anymore." To prove his point he placed his elbow near his mouth and consumed the explosion. Then he wiped his mouth like he had just had a messy meal. "Is that all you've got?"

"How on Earthland are you doing that?", the assassin asked with disgust.

Natsu shrugged, "I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer" he said proudly. He followed that statement with yet another punch to prove his point, once again eating the resulting explosion.

The assassin became angry and his body began to transform into a terrifying creature. He was larger than before with large menacing claws and fangs. He began to once again hurl explosions around the town reigniting the fires that Juvia had extinguished.

"You should not pick a fight with us demons, human."

"Demons? Is that what you are? Is everyone in your guild a demon?", Natsu asked. "Well, I don't care what you are. I will fight anyone that hurts my family be they human, demon or god. You will soon learn what it means to pick a fight with Fairy Tail. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

Natsu powered up his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and added some of the lightning he had acquired from Laxus on Tenrou Island.

"Thunder Fire Dragon Percussion Hammer"

Natsu's attack connected with the demon and he went flying across the town only stopping when he hit a stone wall. He slid down and landed in a heap on the ground his body reverting back to his previous appearance . Natsu's arms began to glow and he exploded again. There was nothing he could do about it this time his body couldn't take any more. He collapsed on the ground once again.

"Is everyone ok? We were able to evacuate the town.", Happy and Carla returned.

Happy quickly flew towards Natsu."Are you ok?" He asked with concern.

"Of course I'm ok, I won!", Natsu said in a tired voice.

Happy cheered. "I never doubted you for a minute."

A loud beeping could be heard from where the demon's body lay and bright lights began to surround them, pulsing in time with the beeps. A loud chuckle erupted from the demon.

"Congratulations, Slayer! I have to admit you did a number on me. No one has ever caused me this much trouble before but your victory will be shortlived. I have turned my body into a bomb and I will take you all with me on my way back to hell."

Natsu could not move and he desperately tried to figure out how they were going to get out of this one when help came from the place where he least expected it.

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard too, and we never give up! I won't let you destroy the town." A determined Happy flew towards the demon and grabbed him by the cowl.

"Max Speed"

Happy flew up into the sky as fast as his Aera magic could take him dragging the demon high into the sky, far enough away that the explosion was harmless.

"HAPPY!" Natsu yelled his eyes trying to follow the trail the Exceed made in the sky.

They saw the large explosion fill the air and waited for Happy to return. Carla's eyes began to water and Natsu began to get nervous as the other two wizards stared wordlessly up at the sky. All of them willed Happy to be alright. The Exceed finally appeared looking burnt but otherwise ok.

"I did it!", Happy cheered fist bumping Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer thought his heart would burst with pride for his friend's brave feat.

"Can you guys do me a favor? Please don't tell Gray how I beat this guy. I'm fine and he's just going to make a big deal out of nothing."

"Gray-sama is such a good friend to worry about his teammate.", Juvia said eyes turning into hearts as her favorite topic was brought up.

"Yeah, teammate.", Happy snickered.

"We need to find a communication lacrima to call the guild.", Wendy said looking at the remains of the communications lacrima they had brought with them. It must have broken during one of the many explosions. Michello remained with them, he now fully understood the danger he was in and he realized that he would have no chance on his own.

"You guys can handle that without me, I'm just going to lay here for a while."

Oh yeah, Gray was definitiely going to kick his ass when he got the play by play from Juvia.

xxx

This is mostly a retelling of the fight with Jackal with a few changes and a little added color. Thank you to EclipsingParadise, SilverWhiteDragon and K.A.T for your continued support. Nice to meet you FoxLuna, thanks for sharing your thoughts.


	20. The Ties That Bind

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 19: The Ties That Bind

Lucy and Gray were on their way to check on Former Council Member Hogg. He lived a fair distance from Magnolia so they'd had to borrow a mount to get there quickly. Lucy was sitting behind Gray with her arms wrapped around his waist to keep herself from falling off the flitting feline. They were riding through a desert like area and the oppressive heat soon had both of their thoughts turning towards Natsu. Gray decided to try to heed Makarov's words and work things out with Lucy, at the very least it kept his thoughts from wondering what idiotically reckless thing his mate could be up to.

"I'm sorry that you had to find out about us like that." Gray said and he honestly did feel badly about that. He could only imagine how devastated he would have been to walk in on Natsu kissing Lucy.

"It's ok, it was just unexpected but it was our fault for barging into your room.", Lucy said taking great care to keep her words even, "I should have handled it better. Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask whatever you want, I can't guarantee that I'll answer."

"Have you always been in love with Natsu?"

Gray laughed. "We met when we were 10. He was larger than life, even back then. He came into the guild bragging about being raised by a dragon, he was so damn cocky and Gods that pink hair! He pissed me off from the moment I laid eyes on him. So no, that came later."

"When I first started having feelings for him I was angry at myself and at him. I thought that there was something wrong with me because no one else around me seemed to have feelings for someone of their own gender. Hell, when Gramps gave us the sex talk he never even mentioned it as a possibility. I blamed Natsu for somehow causing these feelings even though he truthfully didn't do anything but be himself. That's when our fighting started getting out of control. I wanted to push him away thinking it would make them stop but at the same time I couldn't stay away for long. It was a hard time for me, but as the years passed and it never went away I just accepted it. He felt the same way about me, I just didn't know it. We've always been drawn to each other, I just didn't understand why until now."

"Gray, what you're thinking of doing, you do know he's not going to agree to it?", Lucy said.

"Of course he is, it's the only way to save him."

"That's a horrible reason to do what you're planning."

"He's my mate, that's reason enough." Gray felt that if she was going to be involved she should know at least that much.

"Mate? What are you talking about, didn't you guys just get together?"

"It's a little deeper than that. Dragon Slayers take upon certain aspects of dragons as part of their magic. One of these aspects is mating. Dragons have only one mate that they remain with for their whole lives and so do dragon slayers. They don't actually know who that is until they've had their first heat. Tiamat forced Natsu to experience his first one when she gave him that solution. Even though I'm his actual mate, because she forced herself on him if we don't do something soon to challenge her claim, I might still lose him. I'll stop at nothing to make sure she can't touch him again."

"So, I never really had a chance huh?"

"I don't think so, I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"Are we ok?"

"We will be.", Lucy knew it was going to be awhile before she was truly okay with all of this but now she knew that she would be.

"I'm sorry about the way I was acting. You were right, I wasn't thinking about what he needed at all."

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts. Lucy was startled out of her reverie by Gray stopping their mount abruptly. Had she not been holding on to his waist she probably would have gone flying. She started to protest but instead looked around to see what had caused Gray to stop like that. The town spread before them and to their increasing trepidation it looked like it had been gone over by a wild animal. There were what looked like claw marks across entire buildings. What kind of creature coud do something like that?

"Council Member Hogg!", Lucy said, "We need to find him quick."

They hurried to the address they had been given but Gray already knew it was futile. He'd seen enough to know this was the work of a demon and it had clearly already left town.

xxx

Justin, Rogue and Olga walked into the Fairy Tail Guild. No one noticed them enter as their attention was focused on Master Makarov and a large communications lacrima that was sitting atop one of the room's tables. He seemed to be receiving reports from the field. They looked around for Sting among the mages present in the guild. Rogue was glad to see that the guild did not look too bad considering Tiamat's visit. They moved towards a table to wait for Master Makarov to finish what he was doing.

"Rogue, you're back!" Sting made his way down the infirmary steps quickly and headed towards his friend. He gave him a bone crushing hug and found himself holding on a bit longer than usual. He'd been worried that Tiamat had managed to find him after she had disappeared. He'd found himself thinking quite a lot about the Shadow Dragon Slayer since his disappearance.

He shook Justin's hand and thanked him for having taken Rogue away from Fairy Tail during the attack.

"What happened after I left?", Rogue asked.

"She got another element. Gajeel was able to injure her though. Now they're dealing with a different crisis so Makarov has put me in charge of dealing with Tiamat for now as he deals with Tartaros. I'm still waiting for Lamia Scale to arrive with their God Slayer."

"What can you tell me about this Tiamat?", Olga asked Sting.

"She's a Dragon deity. She currently has access to light, fire, poison, and lightning Dragon Slayer magic, which might make her immune to those elements. She was also capable of casting strong spells that I have never seen before. She has the ability to teleport and shape shift. From what I have heard she was banished to a place called the Nine Hells 400 years ago but we still have not been able to find how it was done."

"Have you ever gone up against an actual God before?"

"No, but she is going after a member of Sabertooth so I will do my best to take her out.", Olga said with more confidence that he felt. It was one of those things he had always asked himself. If he ever got the chance would he be able to defeat a real god? It looked like he was going to find out. If she was really immune to lightning magic that could be a problem. He began to strategize.

"Is Council Member Hogg alive?", Makarov asked the lacrima with agitation.

"Sorry, Gramps. He was already dead when we got here. The town was attacked as well. I think it might have been a demon.", Gray Fullbuster's voice could be heard coming from the lacrima.

"It was horrible, Master.", Lucy added.

Makarov closed his eyes, trying not to show his frustration to his mages. They were already worried enough as it was. He opened them slowly and asked for the next report.

"Gajeel, what about you? Any word on Council Member Belno?"

"We were too late as well, but there does not seem to be any damage to the house or the town.", Gajeel reported to Makarov.

"Well that leaves Natsu and Elfman.", Cana said out loud.

"Natsu's group hasn't reported yet?", Gray and Lucy both asked at the same time.

"Calm down, I'm sure he's fine. He probably stopped to fill that never ending appetite of his before reporting back.", Cana was not able to mask the worry in her tone as well as she would have liked.

"We're here! Sorry it took so long but our lacrima broke and we had to find a replacement.", Wendy reported.

"Wendy, what happened? Is Council Member Michello alright?", Makarov asked with the first hint of hope in his voice.

"Council Member Michello is fine but we ran into one of the demons from Tartaros and we had to fight him. Natsu was able to take him out. He's in pretty bad shape though."

A shout of "Wendy!" could be heard in the background followed by Happy snickering "You're going to get it now!"

"Oh crap! I wasn't supposed to say that. I'm sorry Natsu-san."

"NATSU! What the hell did you do?", Gray screamed at him from his location while managing to glare at Makarov at the same time.

"Gray-sama, it was amazing! He kept eating all of the explosions that the demon kept throwing at us! There must have been at least 50 of them. I've never seen anything like it. Wendy had to heal him after he knocked himself out but he got back up and fought its demon form. Juvia saved the Council Member and others in the town!", Juvia said already forgetting that Natsu had asked them not to tell Gray anything about how he had defeated the demon in her excitement to talk to her beloved.

"He did what?"

"I'm fine Ice Block, and did they mention that I took out the demon? If you want to be mad at anyone you should look to Happy, he almost got himself killed. Look at him, he looks like he was cooked.", Natsu desperately tried to change the subject.

"As much as we're all enjoying this domestic squabble can we take it up later? Were you able to learn anything from Council Member Michello?", Makarov interrupted before things could get further out of control.

Juvia could be heard in the background saying "What does he mean by domestic squabble, my beloved and I weren't fighting." followed by more snickering from Happy and a groan from the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"He keeps saying the words Face and White Inheritance but he won't go into specifics.", Wendy told Makarov, "He hasn't been very cooperative."

"Face is a last resort weapon the Magic Council created.", Michello spoke at last.

"What about this Face, what does it do?", Makarov asked Michello.

Michello remained silent but a sheen of sweat could be seen trickling down his face.

"We need to know Michello. This is not a game. They are sending demons after you and we won't be able to protect you forever. The members of the Magic Council are dead as are Belno and Hogg, you and Yajima were attacked. Who knows how many others will be affected? What are you trying to protect?" Makarov yelled trying to get Michello to react.

"It's a pulse bomb capable of eliminating all the magic in the continent.", Michello said quietly.

"That's insane why would the Council do that?"

"All mages would become ill."

"Tartaros doesn't use magic. The demon told Juvia they use curses."

"That means that while we would be helpless they would be able to do whatever they wanted without any opposition.", Pantherlily fumed.

"Where is it? We'll destroy it before they have a chance to use it.", Natsu finally appeared on the communications lacrima and Gray was able to see just how badly he'd been injured. He was furious, this was exactly what he had been afraid of, damn idiotic Flame Brain!

"I don't know where it is but I have heard that it was organically linked to 3 former council members. The only person who would have that information is the former chairman.", Michello informed Makarov.

"That must be why they're killing former council members! It's the only way to break the seal. Do you think that they already know the location of the weapon?", Lucy wondered.

"Everyone return to the guild, Warren is locating more addresses and we will ask some of the other guilds to help. Sting?", Makarov ordered and closed the connection already trying to figure out how to deal with this new mess.

"I'm on it! I'll get in touch with Yukino.", Sting walked towards Warren to get some addresses to send to Sabertooth.

'Dear Gods, why have I not retired yet? I don't know how many more of these little situations I can handle at my age.' Makarov thought to himself as he made his way upstairs to check on Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe.

xxx

Lyon and Sherria walked into Fairy Tail fully expecting to have to evade flying furniture or at the very least flying mages. To their surprise the guild was quiet. Groups of mages were sitting at different tables doing what looked to be research. They looked around for the guild master or anyone they recognized. Sherria was hoping to see Wendy but she did not seem to be around at the moment. They had become fast friends since the Grand Magic Games. Sherria followed Lyon to the table where his foster brother was sitting along with a few dragon slayers and some other mages. They were all focused on a book written in a language she did not recognize.

"Sherria!", came an excited voice from the door.

Sherria turned to see Wendy Marvell running towards her and smiled. The others in her group headed in her direction as well.

"Gray-sama, we're back!", Juvia headed straight towards the ice mage whereas Natsu stood awkwardly behind the two girls.

Lyon noticed the fury on Gray's face when he saw Natsu and he quickly ran interference for him.

"Juvia don't you look wonderful! I'm so glad I got to see you. Why don't you tell me about your mission? Looking at the lot of you it must have been quite exciting."

Juvia tried to get away but she was so puzzled by the looks Gray was giving Natsu that before she knew what was happening Lyon had grabbed her by the arm and sat her between Gajeel and himself.

Gray got up and walked towards Natsu slowly trying to give himself time to sort through his emotions before he said something he would later regret. What was it he'd thought in the Sun Village before Natsu had fought that monster? They would always run towards danger and put other's safety before their own. It was true, he couldn't blame Natsu for doing what he'd always done and it wasn't fair to try to get him to change for his sake when he was pretty sure he'd have some choice words for Natsu if he ever asked that of him but did he have to go and get himself so beat up all the time?

Natsu looked at him with pleading eyes, asking him not be angry with him. He'd only done what he'd had to after all. Gray looked at him for a few seconds and then blindsided him with a left hook to the jaw.

"What the hell, Ice Princess?"

"I told you that I would kick your ass if you got hurt and I keep my promises. Be thankful you're pregnant or it would have been worse. Honestly, eating explosions. What the hell were you thinking? There is a living being inside of you now, idiot. Let's take you upstairs to Porlyusica so she can check up on both of you.", Gray chastised his mate.

He grabbed Natsu's hand and led him to the infirmary leaving many open mouthed mages in their wake.

"What just happened?", Juvia asked as her brain was starting to put things together.

Lyon nodded. He would like the answer to that question as well. He looked around the table and noticed that Gajeel, Lucy and Levy were the only ones not looking confused by the exchange.

"Gajeel, can you explain what's going on with my brother and Natsu?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're mates, well technically anyway. We're hoping this book takes care of the rest."

Wendy squealed with excitement, while Sting smiled now that his hunch was corroborated. Rogue looked a bit surprised. They all looked at the book with interest.

"Did he just say Natsu is pregnant?", Olga asked.

"It has to do with the goddess you are going to destroy, we'll catch you up later.", Sting told him.

Gray was kicked out of the infirmary by Porlyusica and he arrived back at the table just in time to listen to Juvia ask the question he had been dreading.

"Mates?", Juvia asked with a slight tremor in her voice, "what does that mean, they're like really good friends?"

"No, it means that Natsu's the one I'm destined to be with. I'm sorry, Juvia. I tried to tell you so many times but you wouldn't listen. I belong with Natsu, I always have."

"But Gray-sama, he's a boy. You won't be able to have a family and...oh.", Juvia stopped herself as she remembered that Natsu was pregnant. She felt the tears come then as her dream came crashing down on her.

"Gray-sama is my light, my reason for leaving the darkness behind. He was the one who stopped my never ending rain and gloom and made the sun shine down on me for the first time. What am I supposed to do now?" She got up from the table not realizing she had said all those things out loud.

She felt powerful arms surround her and she let her tears flow as Gray comforted her as best he could.

"Juvia, you never needed me for any of that. It was always inside you. All I did was point you in the right direction. You are an amazing woman! You're beautiful, brave, loyal, kind and clever and there is a whole world out there for you full of people and experiences. Some even closer than you think. You shine your own light now, just keep following it and you'll be fine."

To everyone's surprise the guild did not flood although Juvia did cry for a bit longer. Gray finally let her go with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Gray. I will think about what you said." It sounded so strange to say his name like that but she knew it was a good first step. She needed to respect his decision , this time she was listening. To her surprise Lucy came up to her and invited her to get some hot cocoa at the bar, which Laki had finally gotten around to fixing after many bribes from Cana.

Natsu came downstairs and watched the unlikely combination of Lucy and Juvia sitting down together. He wondered what happened to cause that but made his way over to Gray's table. He had mentioned there was something that he needed to talk to him about. They were all looking at Lucy and Juvia as well.

"Did I miss something?", Natsu asked.

"Juvia knows now.", Gray told him.

"Oh, should I be concerned?"

"No, she took it considerably better than we expected. What did Porlyusica say?", Gray assured him.

"She told me I was an idiot but she can feel him in there and he doesn't seem to be in distress and then something about my being beyond help.", he shrugged, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Sit down."

Natsu was surprised that he wanted to talk in front of all these people but decided that meant it was not something to worry about. He noticed they were all looking at a book and that there was a red lacrima on the table.

"While you were gone Levy found a ritual that we think might make it so Tiamat's claim on you will no longer be valid.", Gray told him.

"It's called a Soul Bond. It was documented by this group called The Order of the Flame hundreds of years ago. A dragon and a human would unite their souls and blood in an unbreakable spiritual bond. It should override Tiamat's strictly physical claim. Natsu would have to enchant that lacrima with his Dragon Slayer magic creating what is called a Soul Crystal. Then Gray would have to infuse the Soul Crystal with some of his magic and a Seith mage would use the Crystal as a talisman to combine your souls for eternity while both of you recite a simple spell. The Soul Bond will allow you to sense each other and you will also feel each other's pain. ", Levy explained.

Natsu wasn't listening to the explanation as much as he was gaging Gray's reactions and he could easily tell that there was something that was being kept from him.

"What's the catch?"

"What do you mean?", Gray said nervously.

"I'm sorry Gray. I told you I wasn't comfortable keeping this from him. If you die before he does, Gray will live but with the loss of the Soul Bond and the added loss of his mate he probably won't last long . When he does die his soul will be trapped to where his remains lay and he will become a Soul Shadow, no longer a part of this world but not able to move on either. This can be undone if someone takes the Soul Crystal to his remains then his soul will be set free to join yours in the afterlife. If Gray dies first then you will also die. If you both die of old age then both your souls will be released to the afterlife. " Levy told Natsu.

Natsu looked at Gray in horror. "Are you out of your mind?"

"For once I agree with Natsu, you can't seriously be considering this, Gray.", Lyon looked at his brother in fear.

Gray ignored his brother and pleaded with his mate "Natsu, it's the only way to keep her from claiming you. I want to do this."

"Well, I don't want you to. If you found this I'm sure you can find something else."

"Natsu please--"

"I SAID NO. I would rather live a lifetime with that bitch than doom you to that fate.", Natsu yelled at Gray then he got up and left the guild, slamming the door behind him. A shocked silence followed the outburst and Erza and Lucy followed him outside.

"Are you ok?", Erza asked him in a gentle tone.

"What the hell is he thinking, Erza?", Natsu asked still in a rage.

Erza sighed. "I think that he loves you and he's terrified of losing you, especially to her. He's not really thinking about the consequences at the moment. Look, I know you don't want to hear this right now but you should at least think about it. You didn't see him when you were missing, or when you were found. I think he feels that going through that again is a fate worse than anything the Soul Binding can do to him. There's also the child to think of, if he is indeed going to be a demigod do you want to her to have access to that much more power? I'm not saying he's right but at least try to look at it from his perspective."

Natsu looked at Erza with his brows furrowed. Mira came out of the guild at that moment with a slip of paper in her hand and headed towards them.

"Erza we have to go. Warren was able to find the address for the former chairman that Michello was talking about. Master wants the two of us to go check on him."

"The two of us together on a mission? I look forward to it, let's go.'

Mira and Erza waved and left to look for a mount to get them to their destination.

"What the heck is a demigod?", Natsu asked out loud.

"It means your child is half human and half god.", Lucy answered, "He has the potential to be a very powerful being as both his parents are powerful in their own right. If Tiamat got her hands on him she could turn him into a force for evil but if you and Gray, and by extension the rest of us, managed to raise him then maybe he could be a force for good. If Tiamat gets to you she gets the child as well."

They both sat outside quietly while Natsu thought about that for a while. This was all so confusing. He didn't want Gray to be a Soul Shadow but he didn't want Tiamat to have his son. His head felt like it was going to burst so he talked to Lucy instead.

"So, you're finally talking to me again?"

Lucy blushed. "Uhm yeah. About that, I'm sorry I was being a jerk."

Natsu sighed. "No, it's my fault. I had no idea you felt that way about me. If I did or said anything that made you think there was something more between us I'm truly sorry."

"I thought you did and I guess that's why I was so upset in the beginning but looking back it was all me. I read more into your actions because I wanted to. Now that I've seen how you act with Gray I can definitely see the difference. Erza's right by the way, he loves you very much. I was there when Levy first told him about the possibilty of this ritual and he didn't even hesitate he just said, Tell me what I have to do. "

"I can't ask this of him, it's too much."

"I'll tell you what he told me when he was trying to get me to talk to you.", Lucy tried to imitate Gray's deep voice, "Natsu, maybe you should think about what he means to you and then something along the lines of are you sure this is what you want? Because it sure as hell isn't what he needs from you right now."

They both chuckled. "When did grumpy old Gray get to be so wise?", Natsu asked with a smile.

"It must be his impending fatherhood.", Lucy teased.

"Funny, I don't think it's made me any wiser."

"Yeah, I'm thinking Gray's going to be raising two kids. Three if you count Happy.", Lucy giggled.

After days of silence Natsu was really happy to hear that sound again. They shared a hug and went back inside. Gray was still sitting at the same table having an argument with Lyon and looking absolutely miserable. He walked over to the table and sat down.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you talk, but you shouldn't have tried to hide that from me.", Natsu told Gray in a serious tone.

"You're right, I just didn't want you to say no and Lucy said that you wouldn't agree to it."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"You said so yourself, I'm your mate. We're meant to be together but she wants to have you, has already had you, just to piss off Igneel. I already know what it feels like to lose you and I don't ever want to go through that again. I also don't want her to get the kid. It protects both of you and that's all I want to do."

"Who's going to protect you?"

Gray shrugged. "I don't need protection at the moment. Please Natsu, I need to know both of you are going to be safe."

"You said we needed a Seith mage but Bickslow's out of commission.", Natsu said putting up the last obstacle he could think of.

"We have another Seith mage in Fairy Tail.", Levy said with a smile. She pointed at the Request Board. They all turned to look and saw no one there except for Nab doing his routine scan for jobs.

"Nab?"

Levy nodded. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a job request, a special one that only Nab can do.

Requested Wizard: Seith Mage Nab Lasaro

Job: Perform a soul bind between a dragon and a human.

Reward: A job that only Nab can do and a free dinner.

Location: Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Dragon Slayer Table.

Timeframe: Now

She handed it over to Lucy who placed it on the board. They sat at their table and waited for Nab to respond. Nab finally noticed the request and his eyes opened in wonder, a smile gracing his lips. He grabbed the piece of paper and headed over to their table excitedly. He officially accepted the request and Levy explained what he needed to do.

Natsu and Gray sat staring at each other in a final contest of wills.

"Are you sure this is what you really want, Ice Princess?"

Gray nodded and Natsu sighed in resignation. "Hand me the damn lacrima before I change my mind."

Sting added "Don't forget about the mating bite."

"No, that's private. I'm not doing that here. We can get the blood another way. Does someone have a knife?"

Gray molded a knife and handed it over to Natsu. Natsu sliced his palm and let the blood sit there, he handed the knife back to Gray. He grabbed the lacrima and cast an enchantment on it with his Dragon Slayer Magic. The lacrima glowed brightly as he fed it more of his magic and blood until it became solid again. It was now his Soul Crystal, he handed it over to Gray who did the same thing.

They each recited their part of the spell as they held on to the crystal:

"With my fire and blood I join my soul to thee"

"With my ice and blood I join my soul to thee"

The Soul Crystal began to crackle and they handed it to Nab. He waited until they were ready and added his Seith Magic to the crystal activating it. Arcs of lightning shot out towards Natsu and Gray penetrating their hearts. Then just as suddenly it stopped and the crystal transformed into a pendant. Gajeel grabbed it and made a necklace for it. He handed it to Natsu.

"I think you're supposed to wear this."

Natsu was staring at Gray and his hands were trembling as he put the necklace around his neck.

"This feels really weird." They both said at the same time.

"I believe the request said something about a free dinner?" Nab asked enthusiastically.

xxx

A/N I had to change the timing to be able to include the Soul Binding, it should sync back up next chapter. The Soul Binding is based off of a video game called Drakan that apparently came out in the late 90's which I think EclipsingParadise will get a kick out of. I changed it a bit but it fit my need for something intimate but non sexual that they could do to outmaneuver Tiamat. I had a lot of fun finally giving Nab a job that only he could do. Thanks to the usual suspects, you keep me going. A special thanks to Valythe on AO3 for absolutely making my day yesterday and SilverWhiteDragon on for her enthusiastic questions and reactions!

Oops, I somehow lost a part of the chapter so that's why I had to update again. Sorry :(.


	21. Soul Shadow

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 19: Soul Shadow

It had been several hours since they had left their dimension to protect themselves from the explosions that were racking his father's body and Kai was bored out of his mind. He had gotten used to doing a lot of training with Igneel and being still just did not suit him. Igneel had been quiet since then as well adding to his mounting boredom. He tried to think of something to do when he suddenly remembered those weird red memory threads that he had encountered when he had been trying to find out information about his mother. He smiled to himself and determined to go explore them.

He closed his eyes and tried calling out to his father again.

"Father? Father, can you hear me?"

He figured it couldn't hurt, maybe one of these days he'd get a reply. Not today, though. The usual silence was all he got as a response. He focused on his father's mind again until he could start to see those whitish tendrils. He moved through them, carefully trying to find the area he was looking for. After a short while he found it and he hesitated once again as the same sense of dread filled him as the previous time he had been there. Still, he was not about to back down this time so he fortified himself and followed the one nearest him.

A small pink haired boy was gazing up adoringly at an older raven haired boy. The raven haired boy was quickly identified as 'Zewef' by the younger child. They were headed outside to play when the pink haired boy began to run off towards the woods that stretched out behind their house. Zewef quickly stopped him and shook him gently.

"Natsu, you are never to go in the woods alone. It is dangerous, you can get lost and there are dragons.", he looked at the little boy firmly, "Promise me."

"I'm not afraid of any ole dragon.", Natsu pouted.

"Well you should be, I don't want anything to happen to you. Promise me."

"Fine, but only if you take me with you sometime.", the little boy looked up with a hopeful expression. Zewef agreed and Natsu immediately started chasing after a rabbit that had come on their property. Zewef laughed and chased after them.

Kai watched the two of them for a while. It was clear that the two boys loved each other deeply. Zewef was always there to take care of Natsu, always dropping everything to cater to his every whim. Natsu seemed to be almost restless when his brother wasn't around getting into trouble constantly and upsetting his mother.

One day Natsu's father came home and he seemed worried. His mother tried to get her husband to tell her what was wrong and after giving a glance to Natsu who was playing with some toys they went outside to talk. Natsu heard them yelling at each other and got nervous. Zewef had gone into the woods earlier to collect some herbs for their mother and Natsu really wanted to see him. When their parents fought, Zewef would hold Natsu until it was over and this always made him feel better. He snuck quietly outside and went out in search of his brother. He walked deeper and deeper into the woods calling out his brother's name but receiving no answer. He became tired and sat down on a downed tree . He fell asleep soon after. When he awoke it was dark out and he couldn't see very well.

"You should not be out so late on your own, youngling.", a deep gravelly voice startled him.

Kai immediately recognized the voice and watched with even more attention.

"Wh-ho are you?", Natsu stuttered out. It was dark and he was alone and scared. He worried that he might encounter one of the dragons Zewef had told him about.

"I am Igneel. I have been watching over you while you slept. Are you lost?"

"Yy-yes. I'm looking for my brother."

"Do you know how to get back?"

Natsu nodded, although he really didn't. He didn't think it would be wise to let a stranger know that.

"Alright, well pick up that stick over there."

Natsu looked for the stick the voice was referring to and grabbed it in his little hand.

"Now hold still. Don't move a muscle, ok?"

Natsu nodded. He felt heat and saw a small blast of fire light his stick. He made use of the light the fire gave out to look at his companion. He gave out a startled cry as he realized he had been talking to a dragon.

"You'r-r-re a d-d-d-ragon!", Natsu said suddenly terrified.

"I won't hurt you, not all dragons like to hurt humans you know. Use the torch to get back home and be careful. Don't set the woods on fire."

When Natsu stood there not seeming to know which way to go Igneel pointed at the direction he had come from and tried to hold in a laugh.

"You seem to have come from that direction."

"R-right. Thank you, Igneel."

"What's your name little one? In polite conversation it is always nice to know who you are talking to."

"Oh, I'm Natsu.", Natsu gave him a humongous grin that lit up his entire face. He ran up to the dragon and hugged as much of him as he could and quickly ran off in the direction Igneel had pointed out yelling out his brother's name as he went.

When he finally returned his family had been searching for him for hours. Zewef was furious that he had broken his promise and although he was happy to see him return safely he would not listen to his adventure or why he had gone in the first place. His parents spanked him and sent him to bed without supper and Natsu cried himself to sleep thinking about Igneel.

After that day Natsu would escape into the woods at least once a week trying to find Igneel and he got much better at finding his way back so his family did not notice his excursions. He finally told Zewef about it but he didn't believe him. He told Natsu that he must have imagined it. This made Natsu even more determined to find Igneel again, so he could prove to his brother that he was real.

On one of these excursions he found a red dragon, but it wasn't Igneel. This red dragon saw him running through the forest and decided to make a meal out of him. At first Natsu was excited thinking he had found his friend but he quickly realized this was a completely different dragon when it flew down and tried to grab him in his claws. Natsu was able to evade him but he did the only thing he could think of when he was in danger he ran towards home screaming for his parents. The dragon followed. Natsu's parents ran out of the house when they heard his cries and froze when they saw the nightmare that was in front of them. Natsu's mother screamed and ran towards Natsu and this made his father react as well. The dragon was getting closer and they saw he was about to unleash his breath attack.

Natsu's mother quickly threw herself on Natsu, tears streaming down her face as she ordered her son not to look. Natsu's father quickly covered both of them with his body trying desperately to protect them but this was an adult red dragon.They had no chance. Natsu screamed as he felt the heat overtake his body. He screamed Zewef's name and then there was nothing.

Except that wasn't exactly true. It was dark yes but the memory continued. Time passed and suddenly Zewef was home from school. He found his family laying on the ground, their bodies charred and fused but underneath he could see pink locks. He carefully moved his parents to try to get to Natsu who was also dead although his body was only singed.

Kai slowly realized that he was looking at things from a different perspective as if Natsu was somehow standing up looking at Zewef instead of looking up at him from the ground. He saw Zewef sob over his brother's body and he felt the pain Natsu felt at seeing his brother so upset. He felt the sadness and guilt Natsu felt for having caused his parents death and he wondered how Natsu could still be here. Was this his soul? Had his soul not moved on? He thought that was what Igneel told him happened normally when a person died.

Something came over Zeref then and he carried Natsu's body inside the house. Natsu followed.

Kai worked his way out of the memory and tried to understand what he had just seen but he was too confused. He wanted to talk to Igneel about it but he knew how the dragon felt about him exploring his father's memories and there were still a lot of threads to look at. He picked another one and followed it.

He quickly escaped it. It had been full of Natsu crying and screaming at his brother and Zewef doing horrible experiments on corpses. He was starting to see why the threads pulsed menacingly. He looked at the threads nervously. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

"What are you after now? Didn't I ask you not to do this again?"

Igneel's voice startled him. He'd been caught.

'I-I was just bored.", Kai said

"That's not really a good excuse to invade your father's privacy, especially in here.", Igneel chastised.

"What is this place?", Kai asked him curiously.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to ever come back here?"

Kai nodded. After that last memory he had seen he was pretty sure he would never return but Igneel did not know that and he wanted to get the information his grandfather clearly had.

"This place holds all of Natsu's memories before he died, right up until his brother gave him to me to raise. I am the one who severed this area from the rest of his memories when I took him in as my son. He can't access anything in here."

"Father died and I saw you there and Zewef.", Kai said simply.

Igneel chuckled at that. He could just imagine the Dark Mage's reaction at hearing someone call him by that name.

"Yes, I met Natsu when he was a small boy. He got lost in the woods looking for his brother, Zeref. I found him there and I watched over him. He was a brave little kid. I liked him right away. One day I saw him following behind what I could only imagine was the brother he had been talking about. He and I began talking, I was curious as to why Natsu was so quiet, when Zeref told me of his passing. He told me he felt guilty because he had not believed Natsu when he had told him about me. I realized then that he would never have died if he had not been looking for me and I felt responsible."

"Perhaps that is why I foolishly decided to tell Zeref that Natsu's soul was right there following him. He had somehow turned himself into a Soul Shadow, a being bound to his remains in this world. I can only imagine that his connection to his brother was so strong that he refused to leave him alone and move on to the afterlife. Zeref became very excited by these news but he still couldn't see him. That's when he really became determined to bring Natsu back to life now that he knew that the element he had been missing was within his grasp. His obsession led him to some truly dark magics that forever changed him. The horrors that Natsu experienced all those years should not be relived by him or you."

"When Zeref finally managed to revive him, after many, many attempts he was different. He was not the cheerful, loving little brother Zeref desperately wanted back. How could he be after all the things that had been done to him, all the things he had seen Zeref do to get him back? He was catatonic, he refused to eat or talk and I think he wanted to die. Zeref did not know what to do with him so I offered to take him in and teach him Dragon Slayer magic. Zeref agreed. I thought it best to sever those memories from his consciousness and give him a chance at a new start. Zeref eventually got to see Natsu return to the little brother he loved but Natsu was no longer aware of who Zeref was to him. I think that might have been the beginning of the end for him."

"Zeref is dead?", Kai supposed that made sense it had been hundreds of years after all but for some reason that felt wrong.

"No, he is still alive. He gained immortality as a consequence of the things he did to revive Natsu but he is no longer the kind, loving person I met all those years ago. Humans are not meant for immortality, it is very difficult for them to constantly have everyone around them die as they continue to live. I feel sorry for Zeref, I fear he has succumbed to insanity." Igneel sighed. Once, he had considered Zeref a friend and now he would have to regard him as an enemy. It still made him uncomfortable but it couldn't be helped.

"Tiamat is immortal, does that mean I will be as well?", Kai wondered out loud.

"I don't know the answer to that. You're godly, dragon and human, I'm not sure what that will mean for you. Your life span will probably be longer than the average human's and I can already tell that you will be very powerful but I don't think you'll know the answer to that for a long time. It's best not to worry about it.", Igneel shrugged.

"I think it's safe now, why don't we find a cure for your boredom and go get some training in?", Igneel asked eager to get out of this place that brought back so many painful memories.

Kai followed him eagerly enough but his thoughts were trying to absorb everything he had just learned.

xxx

Tiamat checked on her injury once again. Her regeneration was not working as quickly as she would like. She remembered the gloating look on the metallic dragon's face and cursed vowing once again to inflict this pain on him tenfold when they next met. She was angry that she had allowed such a big breach in her defenses especially when she had barely used any of her power. She had also failed in achieving two of her objectives. Failure was not something she was used to.

She could carry out her plans without absorbing Rogue's magic, none of the spells she could access at that level were needed for her plans although she wouldn't mind the extra boost in power. The need to have Natsu by her side, however, was growing stronger every day. iIt was an ache that could only be masked by her current injuries. One of the side effects of claiming him as her mate was that she needed to be near him. She was sure Igneel must have discovered the child by now and was probably poisoning him against her. Thankfully now that she had acquired Laxus' lightning she was almost at full power and could do something about that.

She reached out to feel the bond that joined her to her mate and felt... nothing. She laughed to herself, she must be more out of sorts than she had first realized. She took some deep breaths and focused only on the bond that she should easily feel and had felt every day since she had claimed him as hers. Again there was nothing there. The bond was just gone.

'That's impossible!' she thought.

She tried over and over with every method she knew reaching the same conclusion every time. Her anger grew with every negative result until she had worked herself up into an actual fury. She lashed out and destroyed everything in the hotel room where she was staying. There were shards of glass from the mirror embedded to the walls. The bed had been tattered like a piece of paper while the furniture lay in shreds of wood on the floor. The door had imploded from the pressure of her banshee like wails. She teleported to a nearby mountain to vent her anger in a more satisfying manner.

She had no idea how the dragon slayer had managed it but he had successfully severed their bond. She was sure his mate had been involved as well. She would get to them in due time but if she could not exact her vengeance on Igneel by taking his son she would have to exact her vengeance on Igneel himself. She could think of a few ways Natsu could still be a part of that. She would allow herself to rest for one more night but tomorrow her vengeance would begin.

xxx

This is kind of a random chapter that I needed to happen before Tartaros. The next one should continue where I left off, which is to say Natsu will go after Mira and Erza. I was informed of a timing mistake in Chapters 18 and 19 which I have now gone back and fixed. If you don't wish to reread those chapters this is what happened. When Fried saw Laxus being down on himself he went to the Request Board to find a mission they could take to cheer Laxus up. He picked the 8 Island job request and they left with the Thunder God Tribe before Natsu goes into Dragon Force. Fried returns the following afternoon with them after they were attacked and everything else happens as normal. Sorry, I'm not sure how I missed Laxus being there and then not, he's kind of a big dude!

I wanted to go into Tiamat's dynamics before everyone gets to the Cube. The way I designed her she started out as a Spell Lvl 0 wizard/sorcerer with access to spells of that level. Every time she absorbs the magic of one of the dragon slayers she got their magic and a power boost to her own spell level and ability to cast spells. The boosts were defined as follows Sting 1 level., Natsu 3 levels, Cobra 2 levels., Laxus 2 levels and Rogue 1 level. Some of these are due to how the chromatics are defined, for example Red Dragons are the strongest so that is why Natsu is worth a 3 level power boost. The Anti Magic Field spell that she used to nullify Fairy Law is a Level 6 for her. She is now an effective Spell Lvl 8 (the highest you can be is a Lvl 9) so she has access to spells that are Lvl 8 or lower. The spells she will be using are from the DND "The Player's Handbook Version 3.5" or if you're interested in checking them out. Although if you see some of the spells you might figure out some of the things I have planned.

I hope that you're all still enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!


	22. Protect

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 21: Protect

The soul binding ceremony had been very intense and when Sting started a "Dealing with the Tiamat problem" team meeting Natsu excused himself and headed outside for some fresh air. He didn't have anything to add and he had no desire to relive his captivity. He went for a short walk and found himself in the park. He sat down on the grass for a few minutes to rest. There hadn't been any pain to speak of but he still felt a faint tingling from the electricity that had run through their bodies fusing their souls together. He definitely felt more connected to Gray but he wasn't sure what other changes to expect. He was thinking about how Levy had mentioned they would be able to feel each other's pain. Did she mean literally or emotionally? He was worried that it was literal. That could certainly be a problem, they both fought all the time as part of their jobs. Pain was something they were used to but to feel the other's pain on top of their own could prove incapacitating at the worst of times. He probably should have brought that up before he agreed but then again he didn't think that would have changed Gray's mind in the slightest.

He was touched by how determined Gray was to protect them. He knew it was his way of showing Natsu how much he cared. Just a month ago that would have pissed him off to no end but now he could accept it. Gray had already seen him at his weakest and he still wanted to be with him. He no longer felt the need to prove anything to him. Maybe that was all their fighting had been, a part of Natsu's mating instinct needing to show Gray that he was strong and could protect him. There was still a lot he didn't understand about dragon slayer mating. Natsu wished that it could have happened a different way for them. That they'd had time to go on dates and work their way up to telling each other how they felt but the end result was the same and he was happy. He supposed all of that could come later.

He smelled Gray's scent in the air and looked around for his mate. He saw him enter the park and with a smile head straight towards where Natsu was sitting.

"What are you so happy about?", Natsu asked.

"All these years you've always been able to find me and now I can find you too!", Gray looked quite pleased with himself. "Mind some company?"

Natsu gestured to the grass. Gray sat behind him and leaned him back towards his chest. He wrapped his arms around Natsu's middle.

"How'd the meeting go?", Natsu asked.

"It went well, I guess. Sting did a good job, I guess I can sort of see him as a guild master now. He's mostly getting the God Slayers up to speed. They're trying to come up with some plans for when she returns but at least now I don't have to worry about her taking you away from me.", he smiled, "I know you don't think the Soul Binding was a good idea but you did it anyway. Thank you, Natsu"

"I just hope you know what you're doing.", Natsu said in a quiet voice, "How's Lyon doing with all this? He didn't seem very happy earlier."

"He's having a hard time wrapping his head around us being mates and you being pregnant. He's still pissed at me for going through with the soul binding but he'll come around. I'm not worried and I certainly don't need his approval.", Gray shrugged.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you. Are you doing ok with all this demon stuff? That demon I fought said that the members of Tartaros were all demons and we know they might have at least one of the demons from the Books of Zeref. It must be bringing up a lot of stuff for you."

"I've been trying not to dwell on it too much. Thankfully there have been other things that have demanded my attention." Gray looked at Natsu pointedly.

Natsu laughed. He turned himself around so he was facing Gray. It felt like they hadn't gotten to spend any time together since Gray had accepted him as his mate. It seemed like Gray felt the same because he was already leaning forward, eyes closed searching for Natsu's lips with his own. Gray teased him giving him lots of soft feathery kisses that left Natsu wanting more as he lost himself in Gray's scent. Gray leaned back and smirked at him enjoying the power he now had over his rival. Natsu took matters into his own hands. His heart was beating faster as he cupped Gray's face and leaned in pressing his lips on the ice mage's smirk and nibbling on his bottom lip. Gray parted his lips for him and Natsu tentatively pushed his tongue into Gray's mouth. It felt chilly compared to his own and he loved the difference in their temperatures as he made his way inside Gray's body for the first time. His movements were tentative at first, his tongue shyly touching Gray's and quickly retreating. Gray responded eagerly with his own tongue. They played back and forth, their tongues soon fighting for control as their kiss became more heated. Natsu became more confident and started to gently bite Gray's bottom lip and they both moaned at the same time. That made them laugh ending the kiss and they separated grinning at each other happily. When they finally let go Gray remembered the reason he had been looking for Natsu in the first place.

"We should get back, Elfman and Lisanna still haven't returned."

They headed back towards the guild walking hand in hand quietly at peace for the moment. Natsu relaxed and let his mind wander. He stopped in his tracks, startling Gray who looked around expecting an attack. Natsu let out a curse and then started running as fast as he could pulling Gray along with him.

"What's the matter Natsu, do you sense something?", Gray asked searching for a threat. He yanked his hand out of Natsu's grasp.

"How did Tartaros know about Face? How did they know about the organic link sealing it and for that matter how were they able to get the addresses of the former council members? , Natsu called out as he ran.

Gray thought about it and realized what Natsu was getting at. "They had an inside man."

"Someone high enough to have that information. Mira and Erza are in trouble. I think the Former Chairman is working with Tartaros!". Natsu said running even faster. They reached the guild doors and stormed inside.

"Warren!", Natsu yelled, "I need the address to that Former Chairman's house. I think Mira and Erza might be in trouble."

Warren wrote the address on a slip of paper and handed it to Natsu who grabbed it quickly. "Happy, where are you? We have to go!"

"Wait a minute, I'll go with you.", Gray said quickly

"No, you have to explain to Gramps and they might need you to help find Lisanna and Elfman. Besides, I can get there quicker alone! HAPPY!"

"Aye, sir!" The blue Exceed finally appeared grabbing Natsu and flying out the door without even saying goodbye leaving a very annoyed ice mage behind.

"Damnit Natsu!", Gray strode off looking for Makarov his happy mood from earlier completely destroyed as they were once again separated with Natsu heading straight for danger.

xxx

Happy was flying Natsu as fast as he could but it would still take them another twenty minutes to get to Former Chancellor Crawford Seam's house. Enough time for Natsu to discover one of the effects of the Soul Bind. He could feel waves of anger flooding him which could only be coming from one source. A very pissed off ice mage. He didn't really have to think too hard about who that anger was directed at. Natsu sighed and worked on finding ways to send Gray's feelings to the back of his mind lest he become distracted if he had to fight. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Happy dropped him as soon as they got to the house and Natsu took off running. They could see that there had been a fight recently. They ran towards the house hoping to find their friends there. The door was open and the inside was in complete disarray. They made their way through the broken remains looking for their friends in the midst of the destruction.

"ERZA! MIRA! Are you in here?", Natsu called out but the house was empty.

He was able to pick up their scents so he knew that they had been here recently. People's scents don't linger very long. His sensitive nose began to pick out another smell coming from the spilled tea on the floor. He knelt by it and sniffed the remains. Mixed in with the chamomile there was another herb, one that he recognized as a knockout drug. His concern for the girls grew and he became angry at this man who had hurt his friends who had only come here to protect him from a perceived enemy.

"The bastard drugged them!", he told Happy who was also outraged.

"We're going to follow their scent to wherever he took them but first..."

"Fire Dragon Roar"

Natsu burnt all the herbs the Former Chairman had in his house, they were interfering with his nose. If that happened to destroy the rest of the house well he wasn't about to shed tears over it.

Happy looked around at the destruction and sighed. "You overdid it again, Natsu."

Natsu smiled sheepishly and pointed to the direction where he could make out their scents.

"Let's go get them Happy."

"Aye Sir!"

xxx

They had been following the girls' scents for a while when to Natsu's surprise he noticed there was some sort of island cube floating in the sky ahead of them. It had a large structure at the top that looked almost like a castle. Mira and Erza's scents were getting stronger as they approached the strange structure.

"That's gotta be where they are Happy. Faster!", Natsu urged his Exceed.

"I'm almost out of Magic, Natsu."

"You can do it Happy, it's just straight ahead."

They got closer and Happy let go of Natsu allowing gravity to pull him towards the building with great force. Natsu broke through the stone wall crashing into Former Chairman Crawford, knocking him out. He looked at the man with scorn and fixed his attention on the metallic creature that was standing there flabbergasted.

"How did you find this place?", the demon known as Franmalth asked the dragon slayer, "We've never had an intruder before."

"A dragon slayer's nose is not to be trifled with, what have you done with my friends?"

"Look at the damage, how much do you think it will cost to fix? How much?", Franmalth remarked in an agitated tone.

"I've never once worried about how much repairs will cost, what makes you think I'm going to start now?", Natsu replied in an unconcerned tone.

" MIRA? ERZA?", Natsu screamed out his friend's names as loudly as he could, straining to hear a response.

Unbeknownst to Natsu, he was attracting the attention of additional Demon Gates who were soon making their way to investigate the commotion.

"I see, you're looking for the human captives. You must be from Fairy Tail."

"You were right, Natsu. They're here.", Happy noted.

"Of course I am, we followed their scents here, didn't we?"

"Now, I'm going to ask you one last time.", Natsu asked lighting his fist on fire to let the metallic creature know he meant business, "What have you done with my friends?"

Frustrated with the demon's lack of cooperation Natsu pounced.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist"

Franmalth fell to the floor. He got up quickly and glared at Natsu.

"How dare you hit me? You will pay for your insolence human."

Franmalth's body began to change in front of their eyes. His back once smooth now had many sharp spikes jutting out of it.

"Your cost will be 1,000 souls.", the demon said to a confused Natsu and Happy.

Franmalth's arm began to stretch, his fist trying to make contact with the dragon slayer. Natsu was able to dodge the first few attempts but he hadn't been expecting it to hook and come back from behind him. The fist made contact and Natsu screamed as he felt his strength being drained out of him by the strange arm.

"NATSU!", Happy cried and rushed to his defense. He bit down hard on the demon's arm forcing him to let go of Natsu.

"That was some good thinking buddy!", Natsu praised the blue Exceed.

"That hurt you furball, how much do you think that will cost you? How much?", Franmalth screamed at Happy.

He went after the little cat to Natsu's dismay. "You leave him out of this!"

Natsu rushed towards Franmalth and gripped him with one hand while readying an explosive spell at point blank range:

"Fire Dragon Grip Strike"

"You moron, your cost just went up another 1,000 souls", Franmalth screeched in a menacing voice from where he lay on the ground.

Natsu and Happy looked at him, not knowing what to make of him. He had taken Natsu's attack at point blank range and had no injuries at all to show for it.

Natsu stiffened as a smell entered his nose. It was a scent that should not be in this place at all. He kept an eye on Franmalth and looked around trying to find it's souce. To his surprise a tall man with dark spiky hair approached as he walked down the hall to meet them.

Silver walked towards them never changing his leisurely pace. He looked at the mage standing warily in front of him. He was one of the mages from Fairy Tail Silver had seen at the Grand Magic Games. It had been a last minute decision to go but it had changed everything for him. He had never expected to see his son competing. He had been so happy to see him alive, after years of thinking him dead that he had spent most of his time watching him from the stands, the competitions no longer holding any interest for him. Gray had definitely seemed to care about this one, the pink hair made him hard to forget. Whether they were friends or lovers Silver didn't know but it was clear that this boy was important to his son. He would have to play this very carefully.

"That's enough, Franmalth. I'll take care of this.", the man said calmly but firmly, "Take the Chairman to safety, he seems to be indisposed at the moment."

"Yes, right away Silver-sama.", Franmalth said with deference.

Natsu's interest intensified when he saw Franmalth almost trip over himself trying to do what the man asked. He had called the man Silver-sama. Just who was this guy? He smelled like Gray, hell he even looked like what Gray might look like when he was older, assuming they ever lived to be that age. Could this be some distant relative Gray didn't know about?

The man didn't say another word until Franmalth had left with Crawford but Natsu felt the temperature around him begin to plummet and he could hear Happy's teeth begin to chatter. Silver, however, did not seem to be readying an attack. He seemed relaxed.

"Are you the one who melted the ice in the Village of the Sun?", Silver asked almost like he was making conversation.

"Are you the one who froze it? The Devil Slayer that Atlas Flame told me about?", he didn't know what to make of this man.

"He survived? That's good, what an embarrassing mistake that was. I'm glad you were able to fix it, I would have felt bad had they stayed like that forever." He scratched the back of his head and grinned in a familiar gesture that made Natsu's heart ache with longing for his mate. Who the hell was this guy?

Silver read the look on the mage's face when he looked at him then. So lovers then. He needed to get him out of here before he could say something that would bring his son to Keyes attention.

"You know,", Natsu started carefully, "you smell kind of like of someone I know. Gray--"

Before Natsu could finish saying the name Silver had frozen him solid. Happy stared at his friend in shock.

'I'm sorry, you seem like a good kid but I gotta protect him from these monsters. I get the feeling you'd understand.', Silver thought at Natsu. 'I'll try to protect you too, for his sake.'

"That name means nothing to me and I grow bored of this conversation.", Silver said out loud to the walls that were always listening. He walked away calling to the guards to place Natsu in the cell with the other Fairy Tail wizard.

Happy looked at the ice statue that was his friend and cried.

"Don't worry Natsu, I'm going to go get help."

He escaped out the window as quietly as he could and headed back to Fairy Tail with little magic but a lot of determination.

xxx

Natsu awoke inside of a cell naked, with his hands bound behind him. He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. He called to his magic but nothing happened.

"NO, NO, NO, NO", he screamed over and over. This couldn't be happening. Not again. Had it all been a dream? Had he never left his cell? He wasn't in much pain but maybe he'd been healed and she was getting ready to start all over again. He looked down towards his neck, looking for the necklace that held their Soul Crystal but it wasn't there. Maybe it never had been. He tried to feel Gray's anger from before but he couldn't find it. He thought he almost felt something for a second, a warm soothing feeling but then it too was gone.

"Come on Natsu, think. What's the last thing you remember?" he said desperately.

"Natsu?", he heard a familiar voice behind him and his heart sank. He tried to remember what Lisanna's weapon of choice was.

xxx

My son was sick for the last few days so we had to stay home a lot which means no groceries for me but a mid week chapter for you! :). I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Enjoy. Thanks to K.A.T, EclipsingParadise and SilverWhiteDragon for your reviews. You guys rock!


	23. Searching

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 22: Searching

Natsu had definitely been here. The amount of destruction was proof enough of that. There were flames still consuming what was left of the once stately structure. Gray and Wendy used their magic to put out the remaining fires. The Sky Dragon Slayer walked around sniffing the air around the remains of the house but finally shook her head in defeat. There was no scent trace for her to follow. Whatever Natsu and Happy had found was already gone just like the Fire Dragon Slayer's own scent.

"I'm sorry, Gray-san.", Wendy looked down at the ground in front of her not feeling able to meet the ice mage's eyes, "There aren't any traces for me to follow."

"It's ok, Wendy.", Gray patted the young girl on the head, "You did your best. I appreciate it."

"I suppose I shouldn't even be surprised by this anymore.", Lucy sighed looking at the remains of the once beautiful house, "Natsu overdid it again. Master is not going to be happy about this."

"Where did you go Fire Breath?", Gray muttered as he looked around trying to find anything that would give him a hint of where to go, "You could have at least left something behind to help us find you." He tried to focus on his mate, trying to find him like he had done earlier at the park but either Natsu was too far away or he just didn't understand how it worked well enough.

The three mages looked at each other with matching worried expressions on their faces. What could possibly take out Mira and Erza? Where did Natsu go, was he taken as well or was he just chasing after them? There were no answers here to tell them what to do next. As they headed back to the guild in silence Gray suddenly stopped his mount, his face showing growing confusion.

"What's wrong?", Lucy asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"I don't know. This feeling just came over me. I-I'm not sure"

"What feeling, what do you mean? Is it like a premonition?", Wendy looked at him as she tried to understand what was happening to the ice mage.

Gray shook his head slowly. "I don't know, my heart just started speeding up and I feel like I want to run away but I can't"

His face lost all color as he grasped the full meaning of his words.

"We need to get back to the guild, now.", he urged his mount to increase its speed and Lucy did the same.

"What is it?", Lucy yelled. She was getting a little freaked out by Gray's behavior.

"It's Natsu, he's in trouble. It's got to be Tiamat, she's the only one that would cause him to panic like that. She must have gotten to him after he left here."

"How could you possibly know that, Gray?", Lucy asked him.

"The Soul Bind.", Wendy and Gray answered together. They doubled their efforts to get to the guild quickly and Gray tried to send Natsu some feelings of peace back through the bond but he had no clue if it even worked like that.

xxx

Natsu looked down at himself and realized something was different. She had forgotten to put shackles on his legs. He grinned fiercely, this time he wasn't going down without a fight. He got on his feet and turned around. There was Lisanna, also naked and bound.

"Natsu, could you please look away? This is embarrassing!", Lisanna pleaded.

"How stupid do you think I am?", Natsu snarled, "Do you really think I'm going to fall for the same trick twice?"

"What are you talking about? I asked you to look away."

"SHUT UP!", his voice dripping with venom, "Stop pretending. You picked wrong this time, I've never been in love with Lisanna. She's just a friend so you can stop wearing her."

He advanced towards her getting ready to attack when he noticed the tears. He stopped warily, Tiamat had never cried before. She turned away from him and faced the wall.

"I forgot you get nervous when there's only one of us with you. I-I'm sorry I can't show you my magic. These cuffs they... I mean I knew that but...", her voice broke and she couldn't continue.

"Here, wear this." , a voice Natsu recognized from earlier broke through Lisanna's words as a blanket was thrown into the cell, "I can't let you out but it's not right for a youg girl to be in here like this."

"Th-thanks.", Lisanna managed as she tried to control her tears.

"Now, what's going on in here?", Silver looked at the two of them with interest.

"He was captured and tortured recently by a shape shifter.", Lisanna told the dark haired man who looked oddly familiar, "He was just confused."

"Tough luck, kid. Still, you got out of that one, maybe you'll get out of this one.", Silver said as he turned around and left. He berated himself as he realized the mistake he had made.

"Hey, come back here. Who are you?", Natsu yelled after Silver, "Where are my things? I want my scarf and my necklace back. Did you hear me? I need that necklace."

Silver raised his hand in a wave and kept walking away from the cell. The less time he spent with the Fairy Tail mages the less interest Keyes would have in them. Maybe they could get out of this but he kind of doubted that would happen before he could take out Tartaros from the inside.

"Oh Gods, Lisanna! I'm so sorry. I thought you were-", Natsu could not bring himself to say the name out loud. "How did you get here?"

"I don't remember, I woke up here. Elfman must be in here somewhere too!"

"I followed Mira and Erza's scents here."

"Mira and Erza are here?"

Natsu nodded and started to look around the cell, how the hell where they going to get out of here? If they could escape and find Erza, Mira and Elfman they might have a fighting chance.

"Natsu, since when do you wear a necklace?", Lisanna asked, she had never known him to wear jewelry.

"Since today. It's a long story."

"We're not exactly going anywhere.", Lisanna pointed to where they were.

"Fine, but get behind me and try to break my cuffs while I tell you."

xxx

"If only we knew the location of their guild we could launch a counter attack.", Levy said in frustration.

"No one seems to know where it is, I've looked through all of the resources I can think of.", Makarov replied, "We'll just have to wait to hear from Natsu."

"I told you already, Tiamat got to him before he got there.", Gray was a wreck. He could no longer feel Natsu's panic and that was making him even more anxious. He couldn't feel anything at all coming from his boyfriend.

"You don't know that for a fact.", Gajeel tried to get through the ice mage's distress. "You haven't even had the Soul Bind for a full day. The truth is you have no idea about how the damn thing works. You're working yourself up for no reason. I've learned the hard way to never bet against the Salamander."

"You didn't feel his panic, why else would he get like that?", Gray countered.

Gajeel had no good answer for that.

"It's no secret that Natsu hasn't exactly been himself since he was captured. He could have been panicking about any number of things.", Rogue took over for Gajeel.

Gray looked at them unsure. What they were saying made sense but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong.

"Natsu is very powerful Gray, he can take care of himself. Let's just worry about finding Tartaros for now.", Juvia tried to soothe the ice mage.

"Natsu will be fine, I'm more worried about Elfman and Lisanna. Don't you think we should have heard from the by now?", Cana looked at the large barrel in front of her as if expecting it to answer her.

"Warren, do you have anything new to report?", Makarov asked the telepath mage.

"We still can't get in touch with Elfman and Lisanna but I think something has changed, there have been no more reports of attacks on former council members from any of the mages that are still out on protection details. I'm not sure what that means."

Makarov pondered that information. It could mean that Tartaros had already found the three former council members that they needed to release the seal on Face and that could be bad. It could also mean that they were otherwise engaged at the moment, maybe fighting Natsu, Mira and Erza. There just was no way to tell.

"Tell them to stay on protective details until further notice.", Makarov ordered and Warren communicated the order to the field. He was getting more and more frustrated at their situation. How where they going to find this guild when no one seemed to know a thing about it? He heard a thud and tried to find the source of the noise.

"Happy!", Lucy yelled out, "Are you ok?"

The blue Exceed had landed on a table and looked about ready to keel over. He was completely out of magic, his breathing was erratic and tears were streaming out of his eyes. Carla and Lily quickly headed over to him. Wendy also headed towards him, her magic already checking the Exceed for injuries.

"Is he hurt?", Makarov asked the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"No, he's fine. It looks like he just drove himself too hard. He should be fine once his magic begins to replenish.", Wendy petted the Exceed gently as she talked trying to relax him a little."

Happy was desperate to tell them what had happened and time was of the essence. All he could think of was that Natsu was frozen like the giants in the village. He knew that Gray could help him if he could only tell him what had happened. ""MiraandErzawerecapturedandNatsuandIfollowed", he began.

"Tomcat, slow down. We can't understand you!", Carla looked at him. His breathing was speeding up as his lungs tried to keep up with the words coming out of his mouth.

"MiraandErzawerecapturedandNatsuandIfollowed", Happy began again. He looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

"Happy, calm down and take a breath", Carla tried again. He looked at her with a blank expression, her words not piercing through his panic. She looked at her hand and although she felt horrible about it, she slapped him across the face as hard as she could. Everyone in the guild looked at her in shock. The idea of anyone hurting Happy was alien to them.

Happy looked at her in surprise but calmed down enough to look at Gray and say, "I left him there all alone. Please Gray, you have to help him!"

"What happened Happy?", Gray forced his voice into a calm he did not feel, even though all he wanted to do at the moment was shake the information out of the Exceed. Lucy must have guessed his intent because she picked Happy up gently and hugged him to her chest. She petted him and spoke to him in a soothing voice. She told him he had done the right thing, that thanks to his bravery they would be able to find them and help them all. She could feel Gray behind her as tense as a coiled spring.

Happy let out some last sniffles and motioned to Lucy that he was fine.

"Natsu and I got to the Former Chairman's house and Mira and Erza weren't there but there had been a fight. Natsu was able to sniff out their scents but he was also able to pick out that a knockout drug had been added to their tea. Former Chairman Crawford is a traitor! Natsu might have set his house on fire before we left.", Happy managed to look sheepish for his friend. Makarov winced as he had been hoping that had not been on purpose, but a few of the mages laughed and yet others were of the opinion that the chairman had it coming for incapacitating the girls.

Gray willed himself to be patient and let Happy finish his story. He tried to be interested in the details but all he wanted to know is where the hell was Natsu and what had happened to him? He took some deep breaths to calm himself down but it was just making him antsier. He looked at Happy willing him to get to the end.

"We were able to follow them to this weird cube island thing in the sky. Natsu broke through a wall and landed on the chairman but there was a demon there and he wouldn't tell us what they had done with the girls so Natsu fought him. He wasn't able to inflict much damage but that Ice Devil Slayer showed up and sent the demon away. And...and... he froze Natsu!"

He looked at Gray pleadingly, "I'm sorry I couldn't help him but you can melt him can't you, just like you did Atlas Flame? I didn't want to leave him but I had to come get you."

Happy debated about telling Gray that Natsu had said that the Devil Slayer smelled like him but decided it wasn't important. They needed to get back to Natsu.

Lyon was looking at him with interest. "What's an Ice Devil Slayer?"

Gray ignored the question for the moment as his anger was immediately replaced by fear. Could he? He had almost destroyed Atlas Flame when he had melted the ice surrounding him, Natsu'd had to replenish his fire to bring him back. Atlas himself had been the one to melt the ice around the Giants. What about the baby, would he be able to survive the thawing? Natsu would never forgive him if he accidentally killed their child. One thing was for sure, he was going to give that Ice Devil Slayer some personal attention for what he had done to his family before this was all over.

"Sure Happy, we'll have him back to normal in no time, you did the right thing coming to get help." He gave Happy a reassuring smile that felt very much like a lie but seemed to put the Exceed at ease, "Do you remember where the island was?"

"It's constantly moving,", Happy looked sad as he realized he would not be able to help Natsu after all.

"Tell me everything you remember and we can map it. Come on, with your help we'll figure out where it is.", Levy said. Happy followed her towards a map, Levy writing stuff down as Happy recounted his journey.

The sound of stomping could be heard nearing the guild and the doors quickly opened to reveal Elfman. He entered slowly everything in his manner screaming something was off.

"Elfman, where's Lisanna?", Droy asked.

xxx

Sorry for the lame title but I couldn't come up with anything better and I didn't want to face Silver's wrath for taking too long ;). If you suggest a better title I will gladly change it. Special thanks to EclipsingParadise and SilverWhiteDragon, you are both super fun to talk to. Welcome to ClumsyKat who finally made it official :). 'Til next time!


	24. Best Laid Plans

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 23: Best Laid Plans

"Elfman, thank the Gods! I was so worried, where's Lisanna?", Cana put her drink down and looked behind the take over mage expecting to see the petite Lisanna appear with her bright blue eyes and cheerful smile. When this did not happen she took in Elfman's appearance more carefully. The robotic movements, the sweat that was pouring down his face. Something was wrong.

"Yeah, Elfman why didn't you contact us?", Warren asked. He had been trying to get in touch with them for hours and he was a little peeved that Elfman had worried everyone for no reason.

Elfman swallowed before responding. He couldn't look at his guildmates, not while knowing what he was about to do. Still, they deserved to know what had happened and a few more minutes surely couldn't hurt. He felt the compulsion running through his body, every muscle screaming at him to get on with his task. He was going to murder every single person in his guild. From little Asuka all the way to Master Makarov. He never would have thought this was possible. Fairy Tail had been a home to him since his parents had died, it broke his heart to do this but he couldn't kill Lisanna again. He just couldn't! He wished he was strong enough to fight Seylah's Macro, to tell his family what he was going to do so that they could run out of the guild and allow him to sacrifice himself and the building so that they could all live. But he had never been particularly strong, his manliness only a disguise he wore to hide his fear and regret.

"We were too late to save Former Council Member Yuri.", he paused for a minute pained by events that had led him here, "Lisanna was captured. I couldn't do anything to help her."

Gray had thought Elfman looked out of sorts but now that he knew Lisanna had been captured he understood, he imagined he didn't look any better. "It's not your fault, man. I'm sure you did the best you could."

Elfman winced. The kind words from one of his oldest friends felt like knife blades slicing through him. His best had not been good enough, not this time and certainly not on that fateful S class mission all those years ago. Both times Lisanna had been the one to pay the price while he looked on helplessly.

"Don't worry Elfman, Levy is calculating the location of Tartaros. Once we have it we'll go after all of them.", Lily told Elfman trying to boost his sagging spirits.

"What are you even doing here, Elfman? Why didn't you use your magic to go after her? ", Cana yelled at him, "Where the hell is your damn manliness now, coming here with you tail tucked between your legs?" This attitude of his was pissing her off, it was unnatural.

"Cana!", Gray yelled at his friend, "He already feels bad enough as it is."

"Look at him, he's acting strangely. You're so blinded by your own fear that you can't even see it! He's been gone for hours, Gray. Where was he all that time?", Cana snapped back, "Can't you see that none of this makes any sense?"

"That's enough Cana!", Master Makarov chastised her.

"No, she's right. I failed Lisanna.", Elfman walked off slowly looking at everything one last time. "I need to get some rest."

He made his way down the stairs.

xxx

"Wait, wait. You're telling me you're dating Gray?", Lisanna dissolved into giggles.

"What's so funny about that?", Natsu asked with irritation.

"I'm sorry, I just hadn't realized hell had frozen over. Oh wait, I guess it has!", she laughed even harder not noticing Natsu's expression.

Natsu muttered something unflattering under his breath.

"You realize, you're a horrible friend. I can't believe I cried when you died."

"I'm sorry. You're right, I just never expected that in a million years.", Lisanna held her laughter back when she realized Natsu was genuinely upset. "I guess there's a lot about you that I don't know now."

Natsu knew that was true and also mostly his fault. It had been very hard for him to get over Lisanna's death but eventually he had moved on. He'd made new friends and gotten comfortable in a new routine. If he was honest with himself this was probably the most time they had spent alone together since she had returned from Edolas. He felt a little bad about that.

"What about the necklace, why is it so important?"

Before he could answer they found themselves being strewn around their cell unexpectedly, everything around them shaking. They looked aorund trying to find a reason for this new turn of events but it soon stopped and they were left bruised and wondering what had happened to cause the strange quake.

"Natsu, look over there!" Natsu looked in the direction Lisanna was pointing and saw a large sword had shaken itself loose from its place on the wall and made its way towards the bars of their cell. They rushed over to try to get it inside their cell. They clumsily used it to remove their cuffs and with the return of their magic Natsu was able to melt the bars of their cell easily. They exited and made their way into the corridor.

"We need to find the others.", Natsu told her.

Lisanna nodded. "Animal Soul: Cat".

She threw her blanket at Natsu who took it gratefully and tied it around his waist .

"Let's go."

xxx

Igneel watched the young boy sleep with a smile. He enjoyed how Kai snuggled closer to him in his sleep, unconsciously seeking his warmth. It reminded him of Natsu. He could still remember him as a small child lost in the forest, how his sweet smile had immediately won him over. He wondered how different Natsu's life would have been if he had never met Igneel. He might have had a chance to be happy instead of becoming some tragic hero in a story that started over 400 years ago.

He mourned over the years Natsu endured Zeref's experiments, his only other companions demons that had been stripped from the innermost recesses of his brother's madness. The one thing Igneel would always be proud of was that he had been able to remove those memories and allowed Natsu to put that life behind him, albeit temporarily. Igneel's love was able to heal his spirit and return him to the boy he once was but it ended much too soon.

As he watched Natsu over the years, doing his best not to interfere, he'd held on to the hope that once he took care of Acnologia they could return to a semblance of the simple life they'd shared all those years ago. Igneel had planned on making it up to Natsu for all the years that he'd thought he'd been abandoned. He'd forgotten how short a human life's span was. In all those years Natsu had grown up without him. He had already found himself a worthy mate and now they would have a child. Natsu no longer needed Igneel and that hurt the dragon somewhat but it was one of those things that could never be avoided. Children grew up and away from their parents as they made their own way in the world. He was proud of the man his son had become. He was everything he could have wanted in the only son he ever had. He was strong and fiercely loyal. He was brave and loving and kind. He was the essence of a red dragon and Igneel loved him with all his heart. The road he still had left to travel would not be easy, but Igneel had no doubt Natsu was up for the task.

He'd not had enough time to train Natsu properly, leaving him to learn the more complex aspects of his dragon slaying magic on his own. Igneel had not failed to notice that even with the larger amount of ethernano available in this time and their undeniable power none of their foster children had been able to hurt let alone kill a single dragon they had encountered. He had already taught Kai all of the dragon magic that he knew, except for Dragon Soul. As soon as he woke he would teach him that as well. He hoped it was all enough to keep the boy safe once he was gone but there were a few other things that he never got to tell Natsu that he wanted Kai to know.

Kai awoke from his slumber and sat. Igneel smiled to see him rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He knew it took the boy a few minutes to really wake up. Once he was sure that the boy was alert he began.

"Kai, there are some things I have to tell you. I have mentioned some of them in the past but I haven't really gone into detail. I know that you are very young still but I will leave you soon and I won't leave you unprepared like I did your father."

Igneel took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. "400 years ago there was a war going on in our world. The dragons were split into two factions. One side wanted to coexist with humans while the other wanted to destroy them. We fought for years but even though many dragons from both sides died we were locked in a stalemate. That's when our side decided to try something new. A few dragons cast an enchantment on some of our human allies and gave them what we now call Dragon Slayer magic. They trained them to fight against dragons using this power and they were so successful that more and more dragons began to do the same. To her credit, your mother stayed out of the war in the beginning preferring to let us sort it out amongst ourselves. She only became involved when she realized what we had done and as you can imagine she was not on our side."

"Our advantage was short lived. It was a new magic and we didn't realize the effect it was going to have on the humans that wielded it. As part of the original enchantmet something called a Dragon Seed was implanted inside of the human. Some of the humans became so corrupted by their new power that they began killing any dragon they encountered not caring whether it was a friend or an enemy as long as it would grant them more power. The more they used the magic the more the Dragon Seed would grow inside of them. They began to become more like us physically until eventually they would turn into a dragon. Acnologia was the worst of these men. He killed countless dragons making himself so strong that no one dragon could hurt him any longer. By that point our side was being hunted by Tiamat making it difficult for us to go after Acnologia. Then Tiamat suddenly disappeared and we got word that she had been banished."

"Many saw this as an opportunity to attack Acnologia as a group and destroy him once and for all. I had already taken in Natsu and enchanted him with my magic so I left him in the care of a human friend while I went to attack Acnologia with a group of four other dragons: Metalicana, Skiadrum, Weisslogia and Grandine. We fought against him but I am embarrassed to say that even the combined might of the five of us was not enough to defeat him. We managed to escape with our lives but he reaped our souls during the battle which left us weakened. We returned to our lairs disheartened with no idea on how we were going to defeat him."

"Our allies came up with a plan that would send five children to the future with us sealed inside of them. My four friends each took in a child and enchanted them with their magic. They trained them to become Dragon Slayers. We all hoped that our children would eventually become strong enough to finally put an end to that black death and succeed where we had failed. The elevated amounts of ethernano available in this time would allow us to heal the damage Acnologia inflicted on our souls and it would also create antibodies that would prevent our children from ever becoming dragons themselves." The technique is called Dragon Soul and it is the last magic that I have left to teach you."

Kai looked at him with wide eyes. "Can I cast the enchantment to create a Dragon Slayer too, even though I'm part human?"

Igneel thought about this for awhile. "I think you can. Even though you are part human you have an actual dragon form. Your Dragon magic is a part of you, it does not come from an enchantment. I also want you to remember that you have access to some godly magic as well. I'm sorry I can't help you with that but I remember Tiamat saying it was fairly instinctual. Once you have enough power to cast a spell you should know it."

"It's still hard to believe that you loved her once."

"Love is a funny thing. Anyway, Dragon Soul."

Igneel explained how to perform Dragon Soul and Kai nodded his understanding. He didn't really understand everything that had brought Igneel here but he was glad that his grandfather had been here when he arrived. He had no idea how he would have managed without him.

"There's a few things we need to talk about. I never got to tell Natsu these things and I think it's one of the reasons why he has so much trouble fighting dragons. I want you to train the dragon slayers once you are able to leave here. Go ahead and change into you dragon form and fly."

Kai changed into a dragon and immediately took off. He loved to fly. Igneel watched him for a few minutes and then took off after him.

"A dragon's eyes are placed in front like a human's. It gives us good depth perception but it also makes us vulnerable. We have to move our heads to see in any other direction. This creates blind spots that you can exploit."

He flew straight towards Kai and then changed course constantly causing Kai to become confused trying to follow his trajectory. Igneel used Kai's confusion and attacked him with his tail. Kai was hurled through the air but he caught himself and flew back towards Igneel.

"If they were to fight two on one they could have one draw the dragon's attention with a frontal attack while the other takes advantage of the blind spots. This would be more effective than the brute force attacks your father prefers."

"Our scales are strong like armor. They're not easy to pierce, you need to find a weak spot and apply multiple attacks to it until you penetrate it. I don't want to hurt you so we won't practice that one. Think of any part of your body that you instinctively want to protect. Those are your weak spots. Teach those to them."

Igneel continued teaching Kai how to help the dragon slayers and he did his best to follow along. He was saddened that he would soon be alone in this body but he tried to focus on thoughts of being with his parents soon. They would all be together then: Igneel, Kai, Father and Gray. Kai had finally learned the boy's name once Igneel had chastised him for calling the boy his mother. They took a break and raced across the sky. Kai had become more comfortable in this body and he entertained Igneel with his aerial maneuvers. Tired out he finally dropped to the ground.

"Grandfather, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Kai returned to his child form and looked at him excitedly. "Can I ride you?"

Igneel looked at him, amused by the request. "Why would you want to do that when you can fly yourself?"

"Father looked really happy when he did that, I just wanted to know what it felt like."

"Sure. Climb on and hold on!", Igneel took off as soon as Kai was safely on his back. The little boys squeals of delight made Igneel laugh. It had been a long time since he had let anyone ride him and he tried to remember the things that Natsu had liked. He started doing loop de loops and even flew upside down for a bit. He charged at a mountain at full speed evading it at the last possible second. Kai's screams of exhilaration egging him on to crazier stunts.

"I love you, Grandfather.", Kai whispered into Igneel's ear holes as he hugged him tightly.

"I love you too.", Igneel felt like his heart was going to burst at those words, how could these small creatures affect him so? "Now we need to talk about dragon mating."

"NO, gross!", Kai yelled in indignation.

Igneel snorted and told him anyway.

xxx

I had been planning on ending this chapter with everyone on Tartaros but there was too much jumping back and forth and it was confusing so I had to split into two chapters. Sorry :(. I swear we're almost there. Thank you for reviews and PM's. I'm going to go work on the next one to try to finish it this weekend. No promises though.


	25. Den of Demons

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 24: Den of Demons

xxx

"I found it! If my calculations are correct Tartaros should be right above us.", Levy said in triumph.

"Everyone get ready, let's go get our family back!", Makarov called out a battle cry, "Let's teach them what happens to those who dare to mess with Fairy Tail!"

The guild members all cheered and began their preparations for battle.

"You should go apologize to Elfman, Cana-san.", Wendy urged the card mage, "You were really hard on him. Maybe you can tell him the good news."

Cana made a show of finishing her drink but in the end she did as the Sky Dragon Slayer suggested. Although she still felt something was off about Elfman, she knew she might have pushed a bit too hard. She made her way downstairs thinking about what she would say.

Elfman looked at the lacrima he was holding in his hand. The item that was a physical representation of just how weak he was. He, a take over mage, had allowed himself to be taken over by Seylah's Macro Curse. The irony was not at all lost on him. He could see Lisanna struggling to breathe as he was forced to choke her. He remembered begging for her life while Seylah had suggested a trade. Lisanna for his soul. All he had to do was destroy everyone he loved and Lisanna would be safe. He wished he could say he had put up a fight, but he hadn't. He had allowed himself to be enslaved with no fuss. When it exploded the lacrima would emit concentrated ether 500 times stronger than the Jupiter Cannon Phantom Lord had tried to use on them. His one comfort was that it would be over quickly and they would not feel any pain.

He placed the lacrima down and activated it. He sat and waited for the ending of his life marking the time by the sound of its beeping. He was so focused he didn't hear Cana approach behind him.

"Elfman? I just wanted to say I was out of line.", the card mage started and stopped as she noticed the tension in his shoulders and heard beeping.

Her eyes widened as she saw the lacrima. "Elfman, what are you doing?"

Cana started walking towards the lacrima, trying to figure out a way to deactivate it.

"Stay back, Cana! I have to do this.", he quickly got up and tried to keep her away from the lacrima.

Elfman knocked her down and tried to keep her pinned. Cana struggled against him but he was too strong. She silently apologized as she drove her knee up to his genitals as hard as she could manage in that position. He loosened his hold on her hands and she was able to scurry away out of his reach.

"Elfman this isn't like you, why are you doing this?"

Cana kept talking while she reached inside her purse for her cards. The lacrima was beeping more rapidly and she did not know how much time they had left. She called upon the Card Dimension magic she had learned from Erza's friend Sho and trapped Elfman in one of her cards. The beeping of the lacrima began to speed up and Cana ran up the stairs as fast as she could. She threw the cards ahead of her and trapped everyone present in one. She hoped she had enough cards for everyone.

"Salvage" All the cards came back to her hand, each one holding a different confused looking member of Fairy Tail. They all spoke at once trying to understand what was happening to them.

"Enough! There's a bomb in the building. Happy, Lily, Carla, take these cards and get everyone out of here. Fly us up to Tartaros! Let's take the fight to them!"

The last thing she did was trap herself in a card. She hoped that this would be enough to save them all. The Exceeds each grabbed a group of cards and bolted out of the building at Max Speed trying to put some distance between themselves and the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. They headed straight up towards the floating island directly above. Levy had been correct in her estimate. A large explosion could be heard behind them but they never faltered and they never looked back.

As they flew closer they began to feel a force pulling them towards the cube. They tried to fight it but it was too strong and soon they found themselves careening at full speed towards the bottom of the cube. They braced themselves for the crash that would follow. The three Exceeds quickly recovered and found themselves standing upside down with a large number of enemies approaching their position.

"Cana?", Happy urged nervously looking at the enemies getting ever closer.

"Alright everybody, out of your cards!", Cana released all the mages. She was happy to see that everyone seemed to have made it. She saw Porlyusica and everyone who had been in the infirmary as well as Justin, Sting, Rogue, Lyon and the Godslayers. Porlyusica found an area to shelter the injured while everyone else engaged the enemy. They would need to find a way to break through the gravity field to rescue the others.

xxx

Natsu and Lisanna followed Erza's scent to a locked door. Never one for subtlety when a direct approach would work he pulverized the door and ran inside. They found their friend naked and bound with magic sealing cuffs. She was being guarded by a gargantuan creature that Natsu could best describe as frog like. There were wounds across her lower abdomen. Natsu used the blade he'd found to release his friend and she immediately requipped and made short work of her guard.

"Are you ok?", Natsu started with concern, he wasn't sure what had been done to Erza but he was well aware that being tortured wasn't fun and she looked worse for wear than what was normal for her wounds.

"I'll be fine, Is everyone else here?", Erza asked.

Natsu shook his head. "Happy and I came here chasing after you and Mira, Lisanna was already here and we think Elfman is around here somewhere. Do you know where Mira is?"

Erza shook her head. "I haven't seen her since the chairman's house."

"Someone's coming.", Natsu informed them.

"It's probably Kyoka, she's the demon that was questioning me.", Erza said.

They positioned themselves where they couldn't immediately be seen and waited for the demon to approach the room. A strange looking woman approached the broken door and Natsu and Lisanna grabbed her quickly and helped Erza restrain her. It was another one of those demons. This one looked like some kind of bird woman with sharp talons for hands and feet.

She looked at Natsu and Lisanna in surprise. "How did you escape your cell?"

Natsu gestured to the sword that was hanging from his makeshift pants.

"Where are Mira and Elfman?", Erza asked her torturer.

"I don't know of any Elfman but Mira is in the laboratory, two levels up.", Kyoka informed them.

Lisanna immediately took off to find her sister. Natsu stayed behind. He knew Erza was a strong mage but he was still worried about her after what she had just been through. He was happy that they had been able to get to her before her situation had gotten worse. It was what he had wished had happened for him.

"I appreciate your concern, Natsu", she gave him a small smile, " but I can handle this on my own. You should go help Lisanna."

He looked at her carefully. He really didn't think she should be left alone with her torturer but one look at her expression let him know that she would not listen to any arguments. He gave her a quick hug and started to walk away.

Erza was touched by the gesture. One of the biggest changes they had all noticed in Natsu's personality since his return was that the once physically affectionate mage now rarely initiated any type of touch.

"Natsu?", Erza stopped him before he left, "Did you think about what we talked about?"

"Yeah, you were right. I heard him out and we went through with it right after you left. Nab helped."

"Nab? Well, that's a surprise.", she smiled at him warmly, "And Natsu?"

He looked at her waiting to hear whatever she had to say.

"Thank you."

He nodded and made his way out of the room. The last thing he saw was Erza giving Kyoka a smile so predatory and feral that it sent shivers down his spine. He almost felt sorry for the woman.

Natsu caught up to Lisanna and they both made their way towards a flight of stairs they hoped would get them closer to the laboratory.

"The prisoners, get them!", a voice rang out behind them.

"You go find Mira, I've got this.", Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles, his eyes getting that gleam they got when he was looking forward to a fight. Lisanna ran ahead while Natsu ran towards them fists already lit up excited as always at the prospect of a fight.

xxx

'Damnit! How many of these guys are there?' Gray thought as it seemed that no matter how many bad guys he took down there were several more immediately taking their place. He was getting desperate. Now that he was here there was nothing he wanted more than to track down Natsu and thaw him out. He didn't want to be wasting his magic power on these low level thugs when his mate could be in danger in this den of demons.

Everywhere he looked all his friends seemed to be having the same problem. A group of them had taken it upon themselves to mount a defense around the injured. Porlyusica looked scarier than anyone had ever seen her before as she tried to take care of her patients in less than ideal conditions.

"Haven't you found a way to break through yet?", Makarov growled at his children.

They kept fighting as best they could, waiting for a lucky break. They began to feel the cube shake around them and they looked around trying to find the source. The shaking became stronger and a red metallic blur burst from the bottom of the cube leaving a large hole behind it as it continued chasing something. It was Erza. She was wearing her Piercing Armor and holding a large jousting lance. She had managed to pierce through the cube while fighting one of the demons. Everyone cheered to see that she was alright. They hoped the same could be said for Natsu, Mira and Lisanna.

"Erza, you're ok! Great job breaking through the cube! That was just what we needed.", Macao praised the requip mage.

Gray rushed over to her. "Have you seen Natsu? Is he ok?"

"He's fine Gray. I just talked with him a few minutes ago.", Erza told him, "I hear congratulations are in order, he told me you performed the Soul Bind."

"Happy said he was frozen like the giants..."

"Not anymore, I guess. Lisanna is also fine. We still need to find Mira and Elfman."

Gray felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't realized how anxious he had been about the thawing until he didn't have to do it anymore. He hoped the baby was ok. Porlyusica or Wendy could always check him later.

"Elfman is with us.", Cana said, "Right?"

Elfman nodded. He didn't understand how she could have forgiven him already but he was thankful. He hoped others would feel the same way once they found out what he did.

"Good, then we should go find Mira.", Erza said heading back towards the hole she had created when she was grabbed from behind by Kyoka. Lucy looked back at her with concern.

"Go on without me, I'll catch up with you later.", she readied herself to continue her battle, "We need to find a way to stop Face , the wards have been broken."

The Fairy Tail Mages jumped into the hole determined to save their friends and put a stop to Tartaros' evil scheme.

"Don't forget I need to get blood from the one with the Devil Particles to create an antidote.", Porlyusica yelled after them. She settled back to wait, keeping an eye on her charges and those that stayed to defend them.

xxx

To Natsu's disappointment the soldiers were not putting up much of a fight. He was readying another attack when everything around him turned black. His attackers were suspended in midair. What kind of magic was this? He looked around trying to sense who had cast it. Why was he still able to move when everything else around him was frozen?

"I didn't think I would ever see you again and yet here you are.", an amused voice startled him. It came from somewhere behind him, the voice vaguely familiar. Natsu quickly turned and came face to face with the Black Wizard, Zeref. "You're almost as hard to kill as I am."

For the moment he didn't feel any menace coming from the mage. "I've been told I'm too stubborn to die, or is it stupid?", Natsu scratched his head.

Zeref looked at him intently. "There's something different about you this time. What is it?"

"I don't know what you mean.", Natsu shrugged, "Are you behind all this?"

"Hardly.", Zeref scoffed, "Tartaros is my bookshelf, the city where my books live but I have nothing to do with the events that are happening now. I actually haven't set foot here in years."

Zeref continued to look at him.

"Why do you do that?", Natsu asked.The way Zeref looked at him annoyed him.

"Do what exactly?", Zeref asked him with amusement. Very few people talked to him like this and Zeref found himself enjoying the interaction.

"Look at me like you know me.", Natsu didn't remember Zeref outside of the one time he had seen him on Tenrou Island during the S-Class Trials but he had felt something then and he felt something now. A faint connection that he didn't understand. He wanted answers and that meant fighting the almost painful desire to punch the guy's face in.

"The last time we met you knew my name. You cried and talked of how I had grown, even said you missed me. How is that possible when I don't remember you? Just who is it that you think I am to you?"

Natsu watched Zeref, using all his senses to get as much information from the Dark Wizard as he could. He could have sworn he saw something in Zeref's eyes but the dark mage was quick to hide it. Had it been pain?

"I don't know what you mean.", Zeref repeated Natsu's earlier words, "I was outnumbered and I was trying to buy myself some time to activate my magic."

"I don't believe you, You could have taken all three of us out without any problem."

"Not really my concern.", Zeref looked at him more closely, "What's happened to your soul? It's different than before."

"How would you know what my soul is like?"

Zeref remained silent. Fine, two could play this game. Natsu wasn't going to answer any questions until Zeref did the same.

"What do you want, Zeref?", Natsu asked growing tired of the way the conversation seemed to be going nowhere. "You're clearly not here to fight."

"I suppose you could say I came to check out a book. I certainly was not expecting to find anyone here."

Natsu looked at the dark mage warily. "And just which book would that be?"

"Did you know that this guild is made up of demons I created? Every single one of them a demon. I didn't organize them myself of course but I know who did. Tell me, have you ever heard of E.N.D?", Zeref looked at Natsu's face with interest. It looked like he had touched a nerve.

"That's the bastard my father tried to kill! Where is he? I'm going to take him down."

Zeref flinched at hearing Natsu calling Igneel his father and he quickly looked up to see if Natsu had noticed but he saw no change in his behavior.

"No, the one he couldn't kill.", Zeref corrected.

Natsu drew his sword and waved it at Zeref. "Tell me where he is."

"Why would I tell you? He's the strongest demon I ever created and he has yet to fulfill his purpose. It is his book I came here to get."

Natsu attempted to attack the dark wizard with the powerful blade but the blade disintegrated where it came into contact with Zeref leaving Natsu holding nothing more than the hilt. He looked at the weapon with surprise and dropped it.

"Natsu Dragneel, soon you will be faced with a choice. Kill or let live. I have no doubt that you have it in you to kill E.N.D but you might find that the price of doing so is more than you can bear." At these words Zeref pressed his hand to Natsu's cheek in a gesture of affection Natsu had not been expecting.

"I hope we meet again." With those words Zeref disappeared leaving behind a shocked Fire Dragon Slayer. For a moment, Zeref's touch had made his heart ache. What the fuck was that about?

The strange blackness disappeared and the soldiers once again came at him.

"Fire Dragon Roar"

He took them out quickly, no longer interested in the fight.

xxx

Tiamat woke up and stretched. Not being able to return to her hotel room she had spent the night laying in a field. She had stayed up looking at the stars and remembering how beautiful the world had been when there had been dragons as far as the eye could see. She had fallen asleep dreaming of the day when they would return.

Today was the day she would get her revenge. She hummed a song softly to herself. It was an old dragon lullaby. She looked forward to singing it to her own child soon. She looked down at her wound and found that she was mostly healed. She got herself ready for the day and teleported to a cafe she had come to enjoy.

She sat herself down at an outdoor table and ordered some food. While she waited she people watched, looking at all the humans going about their business blissfully unaware of the changes that would soon come. She still didn't understand what Igneel saw in these beings that he would have picked them over her. Her food finally arrived and she ate it all. She would need a lot of energy.

She had spent a lot of time coming up with plans. The first step would be to find her wayward mate. Thanks to Laxus she now had access to a spell that would easily pinpoint his location for her, even if he happened to find himself in a different dimension. The best part was there was no way to counteract it. It would literally require an act from a god to do so. She smiled to herself, there was no way for them to keep him from her now.

"Discern Location: Natsu Dragneel"

She was almost purring as she cast the spell. A dragon hunting her prey. She waited patiently for the results to show up in front of her.

Tartaros Cube, Above Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia, Fiore, Earthland

She smiled.

"Teleport"

xxx

And so it begins. I am super excited for what's coming next and I really hope that you enjoy it as well. Just as a note I will not be retelling all of Tartaros as it is boring for me and I would guess for you as well, we will be going mostly off canon although a few key events will still need to happen. Thank you once again to SilverWhiteDragon, EclipsingParadise and ClumsyKat for your continued support and encouragement. I enjoy our talks, I hope you get as much out of them as I do.


	26. Two Down

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 25: Two Down

Zeref quickly distanced himself from Natsu as he released his spell and made his exit. When he had decided to come to Tartaros to take back the book of E.N.D. he had expected a quick trip. He had not been prepared for the possibility of encountering his brother and as such he had not been able to keep his emotions from bursting through his usual apathetic facade. He'd had 400 years to get used to the fact that his brother had no recollection of him. So why was it every time he saw him it still hurt the same as the first time?

After his family had died, Zeref dedicated years of his life to bringing his brother back from the dead. He had damned himself in the process but he had done it willingly, even desperately. He would have done anything for his brother. The fact that Natsu would not even look at him once he succeeded was a slap to the face. He had tried everything he could think of to get through to him. All he had ever wanted was to see that smile again. The one that told Zeref that he was Natsu's whole world. Nothing worked. Natsu just sat there staring at the wall. Not talking, not eating, not sleeping. At first, he thought that he had failed again but when he took him to see Igneel Natsu had finally shown some interest. Zeref had rushed him home in excitement only to see Natsu return to the same catatonic state as before. Zeref became angry, and violent. Some of the magics he had learned to reach his goal were dark and dangerous and in his despair he let them overwhelm him. He attacked his brother over and over mercilessly and to his consternation Natsu finally turned to look at him, his little body bloody but his face smiling. He held his arms out waiting for the final blow.

The shock of that sight had been enough to bring Zeref back to himself. He had run out of the house and into the woods. He didn't know what to do. It was now clear to him that Natsu did not want to live. Zeref had to come to terms with the fact that even though he had told himself all these years that he was doing everything for Natsu, it had always really been for himself. He sought out Igneel and they came to an agreement. He returned home and tended to Natsu's wounds. The following day Zeref dropped him off with Igneel and buried himself in his work. He visited them a month later. As he talked with Igneel, Natsu had run out of their cave a with a big smile on his face. Zeref had been overjoyed until Natsu stopped shyly in front of him and asked who he was.

Zeref forced himself to stop thinking about the past and focus on his current goal, getting his hands on the book of E.N.D. While he admired their initiative his demons were getting very close to interfering with his plans. He made his way through the castle using his senses to find the unique signature of the book. He stopped in front of a door that was more ornate than the rest. He opened it and made his way inside. There was a lone figure sitting on a throne hands clutching a book to their chest.

"Hello Mard Geer, it's been a long time."

The figure looked up startled out of his thoughts "Lord Zeref, you are here!"

"You have something that belongs to me, I would like it returned.", Zeref said calmly pointing at the book in the demon's arms.

"We have set plans in motion to resurrect E.N.D and bring you the peace you desire.", Mard Geer said, excitement palpable in his voice, "I was about to cast a curse that would take care of those guild wizards so that we may continue."

"There is no need for that, return my book and I will be on my way."

"Not when we are so close to achieving your will. We can bring back our Master and he can bring you peace.", Mard Geer repeated forcefully and met Zeref's gaze. He had no intention of backing down.

Zeref startled to feel a presence of an overwhelming magical pressure that he did not recognize materialize on the island. He was intrigued. He needed to finish up his business here so he could go investigate. He snapped his fingers and a book appeared in his hand. He called Mard Geer back to his book.

"I'm afraid my plans have changed, you're no longer needed."

With those words he called to his fire magic and watched as the book began to burn marking the end of another of his failed experiments. He grabbed the book of E.N.D. and made his way out of the room. He was determined to catch a glimpse of this new player before he left.

xxx

Lucy and Wendy walked inside the castle looking for anything that would help them stop Face. They found their way inside a room with lots of displays and machines including a large globe showing some sort of map.

"What is this place?", Wendy asked while looking at all the displays in confusion.

"It looks like some sort of control room but what do all these numbers mean?" , Lucy tried to make sense of all the information. It reminded her of the Archive Magic used by Hibiki from Blue Pegasus, except this seemed to be on a much larger scale. She continued studying the different displays looking for something she could make sense out of.

"Erza was right, it looks like the wards are gone. I don't understand though, it says here that Face can't be activated remotely but it just started up!", Lucy puzzled.

"This can't be right, can it? This display says that Face will go off in 41 minutes. We have to do something!", Wendy looked around nervously trying to find someone who could help them but there was no one there but the two of them and Carla and Happy.

"41 minutes? That doesn't give us much time. We'll have to do it ourselves. We need to figure out where it is and then go there to deactivate it.", Lucy said. She looked at the globe trying to discern the location they would have to travel to if they were to have any hope of stopping Face and saving magic.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that.", a deep voice boomed behind them making them both jump. They quickly turned to face the speaker. He was tall with the outward appearance of a skeleton. He was wearing a dark cloak and holding a large staff.

"Come on Wendy we don't have time for this, let's get out of here!", Lucy said with a bravery she didn't feel.

"Yeah, if we don't go now and stop Face everyone will lose their magic.", Happy said already heading towards Lucy. He would fly her wherever they needed to go. He hoped Natsu was ok. Erza had said that he was no longer frozen which could only mean he was off fighting somewhere.

"You're not going anywhere, things are definitely not looking good for you.", Franmalth smirked as he positioned himself next to the skeleton, a demon that went by the name of Keyes.

"Leave it to me. Everyone get ready!", Lucy said as she grabbed her keys from her pouch.

"Open Gate of the Golden Bovine Palace, Gate of the White Ram Palace"

Taurus and Aries appeared in the control room and immediately engaged the two demons.

"We must leave now, I saw where we have to go.", Carla said as she grabbed Wendy and flew off. Happy grabbed Lucy and flew after them trying to remember the layout of the castle from his previous visit.

Carla and Happy flew quickly through a maze of identical corridors trying to find their way to a window or a door that would lead them outside. They began to slow down as they caught sight of the skeleton demon suddenly appearing before them.

"What are you doing? Speed up, you stupid cat!", Lucy yelled at Happy.

"But Lucy, he's right there.", Happy whined.

"It doesn't matter we have to get past him.", Carla huffed.

Wendy closed her eyes and tensed her body anticipating a crash but none came. Instead she heard Lucy yell out, "Thanks Gray!" as they continued down the corridor.

"Where are you going? Hey, what's going on?", Gray yelled after them but soon he had to turn his attention to the skeletal figure that was in front of him. He had no idea what was happening but he intuited that he had to get rid of this new obstacle. He readied his hands and let out ice lances towards his enemy. He thought he heard the man say something about silver as he advanced towards him but it made no sense to him and he ignored it.

'That was close, it's a good thing Gray was there.', thought Wendy a little ashamed of herself for just closing her eyes earlier instead of reaching for her magic. She thought she had gotten used to fighting after her time in Fairy Tail but that guy was just so creepy. She shuddered wondering what his curses did.

As soon as they spotted a window straight ahead an even creepier vision appeared before them and it was attempting to halt their escape. Lucy thought that if Taurus and Aries ever got together and had a child the vision in front of them would be their worst nightmare. The demon, whom Happy had identified as Franmalth, was now sporting a body that looked like Taurus' while his head had Aries' horns protruding from a fluff of pink hair that looked like Aries' wool. It was cringe worthy but she really needed to focus because she was getting trapped by a wall of wool and Happy could not fly out of it.

"Wendy, don't worry about me! You're just going to have to do this on your own, I know you can do it!", Lucy yelled at the younger mage when she saw that Carla and Wendy were slowing down. They sped back up and made their way out the window. Lucy struggled to get out of the wool that was surrounding her and hindering her movements.

"Leave my friends alone, you one-eyed freak!", an angry yell echoed through the corridor.

"Natsu!", Lucy was so happy to see him she could have kissed him.

"Lucy, Happy. Are you ok?", Natsu asked as he faced Franmalth for the second time that day. "Where's Wendy going in such a hurry? Is everyone else here too?"

"Don't you mean, is Graaaaay here?", Happy never wasted an opportunity to tease his friend, and this time was no different. He snickered happily into his hand.

"What? No!", was his obviously flustered response. His hand automatically rearched for his scarf and he was reminded of its loss. His body moved out of his fighting stance as his mind wandered to the additional loss of his necklace and what that could mean for Gray. He tried to shake the thoughts out of his head, this was not the time to worry about that.

"Shut it, cat! He needs to focus.", Lucy chastised a giggling Exceed, "Wendy went to try to stop Face from going off."

Natsu nodded. 'She'll be fine.', he told himself as he looked at Franmalth again and readied for battle. He had not done very well when he had gone against him earlier but that was about to change. Franmalth grinned as his whole body transformed into Taurus. Natsu readied his fist, coating it in fire and charged towards the demon. He halted as Aries' face peered down at him, her innocent eyes tearing up and begging him not to hurt her. Franmalth took the opportunity to strike him with his fist.

Lucy looked at Franmalth with a mixture of fury and frustration. He had somehow trapped her spirits and was using them against her friends. She had no clear idea what to do about it and she was sure that her spirits were hurting. She wracked her brain to try to find a solution. She was so distracted that she didn't see the arm that was stretching and reaching out for her until it was too late. She screamed as she felt it trying to suck something out from her body.

Happy flew up to her and tried to bite the arm as he had done before but Franmalth was ready for him this time and grabbed him as well. Soon he was screaming along with Lucy. Natsu tried to evade the arms that were reaching out for him but he ran out of room and was also caught. He felt the familiar sensation of having the strength drained out of him.

"Absorb", the demon screamed.

Natsu screamed and to his surprise he heard the agonizing sound of his mate's screams echoing his own.

'GRAY!", he cried desperately. He needed to get out of this and go help him.

"NATSU, what's happening?", Gray screamed back.

He sounded like he was nearby. He struggled to get free from Franmalth's grasp but that only made the demon clamp down harder and Gray's screams became louder.

"What are you doing to us?", Lucy asked in between pained breaths.

"I'm absorbing your souls. That is the power of my curses. Did you really think you would be able to defeat a demon from a book of Zeref so easily? You will pay the ultimate price for meddling in our plans.", Franmalth replied almost cheerfully.

Natsu blanched as he realized that Gray was screaming because of what Franmalth was doing to him. Their souls were bound now and he had no idea how to fight this. He stregthened his resolve and screamed.

"You ain't getting my soul. It's only mine to give and I have already given it to someone else.", Natsu yelled with conviction, "Do you hear that Lucy and Happy? He can't take it from you. Hold on to it, it's inside of you!"

"Think about what's most important to you and use it to hold on. Fight it with everything that you've got."

Natsu thought about Gray and their child and how he was going to find Igneel and show them to him. He thought of the smile that was sure to be on Igneel's face on that day, after Natsu kicked his ass for abandoning him of course. He could see it in his mind, he held on to that with everything that he had.

Beside him he could hear Happy muttering "Carla and fish, Carla and fish" over and over. He smiled at his friend's simple desires.

Lucy thought about the things that were important to her. Her friends, Fairy Tail, her spirits. Her spirits! If she was going to be absorbed by this demon she wanted them to at least return to their homes and not be victim to the cruel fate that might befall her at any moment. She didn't know if this would work, but she had to try for their sakes.

"Taurus, Forced Closure."

She watched Franmalth hoping to see Taurus returning to the Celestial World.

"What's happening?", Franmalth screamed as his body began to shimmer and disappear. He quickly ejected Taurus from the collection of souls he stored within his body.

"Taurus Release"

Taurus came out from Franmalth and promptly disappeared. The pull on their souls had diminished as Franmalth dealt with this unexpected threat from Lucy. Lucy gleefully continued, happy to be sending her spirits home.

"Aries, Forced Closure"

Franmalth immediately ejected Aries, not wanting a repeat of what he had felt from Taurus.

"Aries Release"

Aries also promptly disappeared. Lucy tried what was decidedly a longshot but it wasn't like they had anything to lose at the moment.

"Natsu, Forced Closure"

"WHAT? The hot-head's a spirit too?", Franmalth looked at Natsu nervously and let him go.

"Nice one, Lucy!"

Natsu quickly got up and grinned at his friend before immediately going on the offensive.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist"

"Your magic is useless against me, you fool!"

Natsu looked around for something that could help them defeat the demon and noticed an impossibly large stone block. He ran towards it and picked it up holding it above his head. His back muscles screamed from the strain but he ignored his discomfort as he made his way towards Franmalth. He could hear footsteps hurrying towards their position. Franmalth looked at him eyes wide as Natsu hurled the large stone block at him. There was nothing he could do to evade the oncoming block and it quickly knocked him into the floor with a loud crash, the block itself pulverizing from the impact. He was out for the count. Little bubbles of light began to exit his body as all the souls he had devoured were finally set free.

Natsu's breaths were coming in hard pants as the strain from the physical activity caught up to him. Still he heard the footsteps speeding up after the crash and he was determined to protect his friends. He assumed a defensive stance. As the footsteps got closer his face broke into an infectious grin as he smelled a familiar scent.

"Natsu!", Gray approached his mate feeling self-conscious as he saw Lucy and Happy staring at them with matching grins.

Natsu was so happy to see him after everything that had happened to him in the last few hours, that he held no such qualms. He wrapped his arms around Gray and held him tightly against him, glad he was safe after listening to his screams earlier. Gray whispered three words in Natsu's ear before pressing their foreheads together. Lucy was not able to make out what was said but Natsu's face turned a deep red and his smile became impossibly bright.

"They like each other!", Happy teased the two boys who were too focused on each other to hear.

"They really do.", Lucy smiled at them, "Just kiss already."

xxx

So, changes have begun. No Mard Geer in this, as much as I like him as a character he has no big role in this story so I had to let him go. RIP. I can't wait to see the dubbed version of Tartaros though, because I absolutely adore Vic Mignona who is the English voice actor for this character. The second part does somewhat happen in canon but I made some changes there as well. I'll leave you on a happy note before the angst that will probably be the next chapter. See, I can be nice to them! Thank you to my usuals, you guys truly are awesome. I'd love to hear from others as well. I seriously don't bite, unless you want me to ;). I kid.


	27. The Bitch Is Back

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 26: The Bitch is Back

Zeref stood in the control room looking at all the displays with interest. He was pleased that the little girl had been able to deactivate Face, it had never been a part of any of his plans. He quickly left the room before he was noticed and headed outside towards the magic signature he had felt earlier. He walked away from the castle following his senses until he felt that they were right in front of him. At first glance, he could not see anyone but when he purposefully looked for things that might be hidden he was able to see her, hiding under what looked to be an Invisibility spell.

"Who are you?"

Tiamat turned to see a man staring right at her. She had been too distracted with the events unfolding in the distance to notice anyone approaching. The fact that he could see her intrigued her. She had cast an Invisibility spell on herself before she had teleported onto the Cube. He was attractive for a human. Longish dark hair framing a sensitive face. His piercing dark eyes were staring daggers at her.

"Tell me, how is it you can see me?", Tiamat asked of the man.

"I asked you a question.", Zeref replied flatly.

"I am Tiamat.", she said simply, "Who are you?" She sensed immense magical power coming from this man and she was admittedly curious.

He looked at her with mild interest. "The Dragon Queen? Why are you here?"

"I have answered your question, I expect you to answer mine. Who are you?"

"I am Zeref. Now, tell me. Why are you here?"

"I have no quarrel with you, Zeref. I am only here to collect my mate and child. I will leave once they are in my possession."

"See that you do. You are not welcome here.", he turned around and walked away from her. She was right, he had no quarrel with her and there was still one other matter that required his attention before he left Tartaros for good. He stopped in his tracks for a few minutes and turned towards her once more.

"Do you feel that? I recommend you finish up your business quickly, the one who is approaching might prove a challenge even for you, Dragon Queen."

Tiamat tried to look unconcerned but Zeref noticed that it didn't stop her from heading towards the Fairy Tail mages more quickly than was necessary. He scoffed at her and hurried towards the castle.

xxx

"We've found Mira and Lisanna. They are both fine.", said a voice inside of the Fairy Tail mages heads which they all recognized as Warren Rocko, "Does anyone know what's going on with Face?"

"Wendy flew off with Carla to try to deactivate it.", Lucy replied, "We all still have magic so I can only imagine she must have succeeded."

"Anyone who isn't already busy fighting something should get their asses outside. There are a lot of those demons hanging about and the damn soldiers just keep coming.", Makarov's strained voice came through Warren's telepathy, "Porlyusica's group is getting overwhelmed."

Gray started making his way outside when Natsu grabbed his arm to stop him. Gray turned to him, a question written on his face.

"There's something I have to tell you, that Ice Devil Slayer--", Natsu began.

Gray looked at him impatiently, "Come on, Flame Breath. We don't have time for this right now. You heard Gramps, they need us!"

"But--"

"You can tell me later. I owe that bastard a little chat for that crap he pulled on you. No one freezes you but me." Gray flashed him a grin and ran ahead, his mind already full of the fighting to come.

"He smells just like you.", Natsu said to the empty air Gray left behind.

"What does that mean?", Lucy asked him curiously.

"I don't know but Lucy, he looks just like him too."

Happy chimed in, "Natsu's right. I saw him too. He's like an older version of Gray."

The three friends puzzled about this information as they ran after the ice mage.

Gray made his way outside looking for any signs of fighting. He saw Gajeel and Juvia in the distance and hurried to catch up to them.

Gajeel stopped and started sniffing the air around him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he tried to pinpoint where the scent was coming from. He tensed and put his arm out alerting Juvia to stop where she was.

"Fuck.", Gajeel said as he quickly turned his body to iron. This was not good. They were having enough trouble with the demons from Tartaros, why did the bitch have to turn up now? He couldn't see her, but he could smell her. She was nearby. He needed to keep the Salamander away from here, but how could he do that without letting her know where he was. Hell, he didn't even know where the Salamander was. He backed up slowly trying to get closer to Juvia. He would send her in search of the Salamander.

Too late he started detecting other scents coming closer to them.

"Water Nebula"

Gajeel looked on in confusion as Juvia suddenly appeared in front of him. He saw her water attack push some sort of black mist away from them. They could make out a skeletal figure at the top of her water jets.

"What the hell was that?", Gajeel asked the water mage.

She shrugged and said, "Juvia doesn't know, it was coming straight for you. Is something wrong? It's not like you to be distracted."

Gajeel said as quietly as he could, "Tiamat is here, I can't see her but she is definitely near."

Juvia looked shocked, she still had nightmares full of Connor's screams from the last time she had seen her.

"How can you be sure?", she replied just as quietly.

"Dragon Slayer senses don't lie. I need you to go find the Salamander and keep him away from here.", he whispered.

The skeletal demon attacked them once again, transforming his body into devil particles and lunging at them. Juvia cast another water nebula to deflect his attack.

"Freeze"

This time Juvia found her water turned into ice before her very eyes. The ice advanced towards her trying to surround her. She found she couldn't move in time. She looked to Gajeel for help but he was already fighting another demon, one that looked like a shark. To her surprise the ice in front of her shattered and behind it she saw a tall man with raven hair and alabaster skin, that looked impossibly familiar, looking at his broken ice in shock.

"Leave her alone.", a familiar voice said from behind her, "I've been looking for you. You froze someone important to me."

"Gray-sama?", a flush rising to her cheeks when she realized who had come to her rescue.

The skeletal demon looked at Gray with interest. He'd never seen anyone counter Silver's ice before.

Gray ignored her keeping his attention glued on the man he assumed was the Devil Slayer. The man was staring back at him, a strange look on his face. Memories of his childhood started flooding Gray before he could put a stop to them.

He gaped at the man and said, "There's no way...How would that even be possible?"

"He smells a lot like you.", Gajeel muttered at Gray, "Who is this guy?"

Gray shook his head slowly, not sure of anything at the moment.

All three of the Fairy Tail mages stood there transfixed by the strange likeness between Gray and the other ice mage. None of them noticing the incoming wall of fire that was headed towards them until it disappeared, eaten by Natsu.

"I thought you came out here to fight, not stand around gaping like a bunch of idiots. What's wrong with you guys?", Natsu said as he wiped his mouth with his hand. He looked at the demon that had been stupid enough to attack his friends with fire while he was around, "Thanks for the grub man, I'm all fired up now!"

"Salamander, get out of here now!", Gajeel told him urgently.

"What are you talking about? There's five bad guys here and five of us. Those are great odds! Let's go.", Natsu had a big grin on his face, already looking forward to a hard battle. He looked at the five demons trying to decide which one to fight first. There was the one that looked like a skeleton, the one that looked like a shark, the hot one, Silver and the exploding bastard.

"Hey, wait a minute. Didn't I get rid of you already, exploding bastard?"

"The name's Jackal, not exploding bastard, jackass. I regenerated. All of us Demon Gates have that ability", Jackal smirked at him, "We're not easy to get rid off."

"Whatever, I already kicked your ass. You don't get a do over."

He looked at the remaining choices. Silver was looking at him with an amused expression on his face. He was tempted to fight him. The guy did freeze him earlier and now that he thought about it, it was this asshole's fault that he lost his scarf and his necklace. He did bring Lisanna a blanket though, and he looked like Gray which would normally make him want to fight him more but there was something about him that he kind of liked. He didn't seem like the others. The skeleton guy gave him the creeps and the shark guy seemed to be looking at Gajeel with interest. That pretty much left the hot one.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist"

"Fwirl"

Before Natsu could make contact with the demon he found himself flying in the air amidst mini tornados. He landed on his back the wind knocked out of him.

"You don't understand!", Gajeel growled at the idiot, trying not to raise his voice while still projecting the urgency of the situation, "Tiamat is--"

"Here. I'm right here, my love.", Tiamat appeared next to Natsu immediately grabbing his hand. He looked at her with a panicked expression. He knew this day was coming but he had not expected it to be so soon. He yanked his hand out of her grasp and tried to make his way back towards his friends.

Tiamat looked at Natsu briefly. She pointed her finger at him and said "Hold"*

To his frustration, Natsu was not able to move any further. He didn't like this, it was too close to how he had felt when he had been wearing the magic sealing cuffs and shackles. He couldn't allow his mind to go back there, not now when he needed to fight the most. He thought about all of the things that he had to fight for and he felt his will strengthen. He tried to use it to fight off the spell and soon began to feel it loosen just a little. He kept working at it.

Tiamat looked at Tempester (the hot one) with menace. "I will give you one chance, to leave here with your life. This goes for all of you. I am only interested in Natsu, Gray and Gajeel."

All of the demons looked at each other and laughed at the idea of scurrying away like scared little mice. Tempester stepped forward and addressed her haughtily.

"Listen Lady, I don't know who you think you are but we are demons from the Books of Zeref. There is nothing you can do to us, that we can't do worse to you. Each one of us could single handedly take down an army. Now step away from the hot head, I'm not done with him."

She pointed her finger at Tempester, strong magic gathering at the tip.

"Finger of Death"*

She felt her Terrifying Presence* activate with her attack and watched for the effect on the others.

Tempester's smirk faltered as he gave one small cough before blood started pouring out of his mouth and every other orifice. The other demons looked on in shock, fear beginning to set in as they expected him to disappear and be regenerated once again but nothing of the sort happened.

"What kind of mate would I be if I can't even protect what is mine.", Tiamat's eyes never left Gray's face, her implication obvious.

Gray leveled his gaze at Tiamat. All this time he had never realized what they were up against. He remembered Lyon's words to him on the night he had gone to Lamia Scale:

 _"I don't know how to explain it but she felt evil and when she saw me she just laughed. I was frozen in her presence"_

Lyon was exactly right, she did feel evil and he did feel frozen, but he had to fight this fear that was threatening to engulf him whole. Visions of Deliora destroying his village were trying to overwhelm his senses, but he realized now that Deliora was no longer his biggest fear. No, that fear had been replaced by a much simpler one. Losing Natsu. There was nothing he feared more than that. If he didn't do something soon that was exactly what was going to happen.

He focused on his hatred. He hated this woman for everything she had done to Natsu. Even though he kept improving daily, he still wasn't back to his normal self and the sight of his brave mate cowering before Tiamat enraged Gray even further. She was right, it was his job to protect his mate when he wasn't capable of protecting himself. He tried to think of a way out of this mess.

Gajeel could feel fear begin to gnaw at him but he refused to give in to it. He had always been one to face his fear and kick it in the ass. He growled, "Are you deaf or something? How many times do I gotta tell you? Salamander is not your mate."

"The way you act, one might think that you want him for yourself.", Tiamat spat at him.

"Nah, lady. I've got my own. Salamander and Fullbuster, I might want to kill them half the time but they are part of my family and I will protect them with everything I've got."

Gray quietly cast "Ice Make: Thieving Hand" to grab Natsu away from Tiamat while she was distracted with Gajeel. Natsu looked at Gray gratefully feeling the last of the spell's effects waning. Gray grabbed Natsu's hand and squeezed it tightly before letting go.

Juvia sank to her knees at the sight of the fallen demon. She began hearing Connor's screams in her head, saw his body being burned alive. She burst into tears.

Gray looked at Juvia with pity. He quickly tore some of Tempestar's jacket. It had some of his blood on it. Gray was certain he had been the one to attack Laxus and the others.

"Lucy and Juvia go take this to Porlyusica. We've got this."

"Are you crazy? We can help.", Lucy said as her trembling hand reached for her keys.

"Lucy, it may *sting* but you're no god slayer. Even so, you can still help the others.", he made an obvious gesture towards Juvia.

"Happy, go with them. Make sure they get there safely.", Natsu asked his Exceed.

"Are you sure, Natsu?", Happy asked him.

Natsu only nodded. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next but he wanted his friends to be safe and Tiamat had said she wasn't interested in them. He was sure she would let them go.

Gray had just gotten into his molding stance when he felt himself being caught in a running tackle as a too familiar voice said, "I believe you came here to fight me. That woman is just going to have to wait her turn."

Strong arms held him in place as he was taken away. Gray struggled against the Ice Devil Slayer but he couldn't get free.

"What the hell are you doing? I need to get back there, he needs me.", Gray's voice was laced with desperation as he heard Natsu's screams and Gajeel's grunts of pain coming from behind them.

"I guess you'd better make sure you beat me then."

xxx

A/N:

Tiamat Spells and abilities:

Hold Person (Lvl 3) - The subject becomes paralyzed and freezes in place.It is aware and breathes normally but cannot take any actions.

Finger of Death (Lvl 7) - allows caster to slay one living creature within range.

Terrifying Presence - This special quality makes a creature's very presence unsettling to foes. It takes effect automatically when the creature performs some sort of dramatic action (such as charging, attacking, or snarling). Opponents within range who witness the action may become frightened or shaken. It's what Lyon experienced when he found Natsu in the burning building.


	28. Playthings

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 27: Playthings

Lucy, Happy and Juvia tried to block out Natsu and Gajeel's screams as they ran away from Tiamat. They were still shaken from having witnessed how easily Tiamat had ended that demon's life. They felt terrible for running away but Gray had been adamant about them going for help. The problem was that they had no idea where Sting and the others were. There was still fighting all around them and they also needed to get the blood sample to Porlyusica.

"Happy, why don't you fly ahead and try to find Sting?"

"No, Natsu asked me to make sure you got to safety and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Lucy wanted to be upset with Happy's stubborness but she understood. It must have been hard for him to leave Natsu behind. She knew there was nothing she could say that would make him veer from his determination to do as Natsu asked of him. They ran towards where they thought Porlyusica had set up her makeshift infirmary.

"Lucy, Happy, Juvia, over here!", they heard Lyon calling them and hurried to reach him.

"Where have you been?", Lyon asked the group of mages as he made an Ice Gorilla to fight the soldiers that were still coming at him.

"We ran outside to fight like the Master asked but we ran into some demons and then Tiamat showed up.", Lucy told him.

"She's here?", Lyon asked nervously, "Where are Gray and Natsu?"

"They're still back there, Gajeel too.", Happy responded, "They need help! She killed one of the demons with her finger."

"What do you mean she killed him with her finger?", Lyon asked in confusion and a feeling of dread began to rise within him as he remembered his last encounter with the deity.

"It doesn't matter now, we need to find Sting and the others and get back there before she grabs Natsu and disappears.", Lucy said as she grabbed one of her keys.

"Open Gate of the Lion! Loke!"

Loke appeared and began to help Lyon fight off some of the soldiers.

"Lucy, go find Sting we'll take care of these guys.", Loke said while using some of his Regulus magic against a soldier that had managed to sneak his way to where Lucy and Juvia were standing.

"What's wrong with Juvia?", Lyon looked at the water mage with concern noticing her puffy red eyes and her silence.

"I don't know exactly, Tiamat killed that demon in front of us and she just lost it. That's when Gray asked us to get help."

"Where are they now?", Lyon asked.

Lucy pointed to the direction from which she had just come. Loke and Lyon looked at each other and nodded commencing a joint attack. Lyon unleashed an Ice Dragon while Loke used his Lion Brilliance to blind their opponents. They both took off running in the direction Lucy had indicated. Lucy, Happy and Juvia headed in the opposite direction still trying to find the infirmary or Sting.

They finally caught sight of Porlyusica and quickly handed the jacket piece with the blood sample to her. She grunted at them and hurried off leaving them to look around at the battle that was being waged near the injured members of Fairy Tail. With no warning Happy activated his Aera magic and began to fly away.

"Happy, where are you going?", Lucy yelled after him.

"You guys should be safe here. I'm going to go find Sting, Natsu needs help."

Lucy watched him fly away and hoped he remebered to stay safe. She and Juvia joined the mages that were protecting the injured, most of which looked tired out.

"STING... STING", Happy yelled as he flew around hoping for a glimpse of the Sabertooth master's blond head.

"Happy, over here!"

Happy headed towards the voice that called him. He had not found Sting but perhaps he had found someone even better. He rushed to explain what was happening as he breathed a sigh of relief.

xxx

Once Silver felt that they were far enough from Tiamat he put Gray down. He took a second to look at his son. The tension in his body, the absolute fury on his face. Admittedly, not how he had hoped their reunion would go but then again if Tiamat hadn't shown up they would probably be fighting to the death right now.

"You idiot! What did you think you were going to do?", Silver yelled at Gray, "Were you planning on just sacrificing yourself? What would that have accomplished?"

"That thing, whatever she is, is way out of your league, Gray."

"Why do you care what I do? Who the hell are you anyway? Because you sure as hell aren't my dad. He died when Deliora attacked our village", Gray spat out.

"Gray, I-"

""Do you even know what you've done? You know what? Whatever, I don't have time for this shit right now. I have to get back."

He turned away from Silver intent on heading back towards Natsu and Gajeel but Silver grabbed his arm tightly.

"I **am** your father.", Silver said forcefully, "Look, we might not get another chance like this. Keyes is distracted and if we're lucky she'll take care of him for us.", Silver said, "The other demon gates are going to go after her. If that happens, I promise I'll help you."

"You promise?", Gray sputtered, "Is that supposed to mean something to me? All these years I was alone, you were alive? How is that even possible? I saw your body." He shook off his father's arm.

Silver ignored his questions, that was a much longer conversation that they certainly did not have time for at the moment. "Could you at least tell me what the hell is going on? Why is she after the three of you? What is all this mate business?"

"I don't have to tell you anything.", Gray said sounding childish even to himself, not that he cared.

"Oh for the love of- I get that I missed your rebellious phase but can we not reenact it right now? This is important, if you won't tell me what she wants with you can you at least tell me what you know about her? We can't defeat her if we don't know what we're up against."

Gray had to grudgingly admit that Silver was right. He swallowed his pride for once, for Natsu's sake, and told him everything he had heard from Sting at his meeting.

"She is a Dragon Deity that was summoned by a cult to defeat Acnologia. She has fire, light, lightning and poison magic at her disposal and we think she might be immune to them. She also has access to some scary ass spells as you saw. She can shape shift and teleport. We don't know much more than that at the moment."

"She's a God?", Silver's eyes widened at that, "What about ice, is she immune to that?"

"We might know that if someone had let me attack her before kidnapping me.", Gray snapped at his father, "I wasn't there the last time she attacked."

"You mean your guild has gone up against her before?"

Gray nodded. "Gajeel injured her but she teleported out."

"That explains him, what about you and the pink haired kid?"

Gray reacted to Silver's mention of Natsu by throwing an uppercut to Silver's chin, putting as much force behind the punch as he could.

"What was that for?", Silver growled at his son while rubbing his jaw.

"That was for freezing him. Bastard, you might have killed the kid."

"I did that to protect him, besides I don't know what you're talking about he's obviously fine. Free to annoy another day."

"Not him.", Gray said, fighting the worry that had been gnawing away at him since he saw Natsu free from the ice.

Silver looked at him quizzically but Gray did not explain further.

"Wait a minute, the white haired girl said that Natsu had been captured and tortured by a shapeshifter. That was Tiamat?"

"Yes."

"Ok, so that explains him. Now what about you?", Silver looked Gray in the eyes waiting for an answer. Gray looked away.

"It's a long story and most of it is not mine to tell.", Gray looked at his father with slight apprehension, "All you need to know is that Natsu and I are mates and Tiamat wants to break that bond and claim him for herself."

Silver put his his hand on Gray's shoulder. "That is not going to happen."

"You're not going to say anything about Natsu?", Gray asked.

"I had already figured out you were together. Your Natsu is very easy to read.", Silver smiled, "I suppose that means I can give these to you."

He removed an item from inside his armor and handed it to Gray.

"He had been asking for these after he was put in the cell so I went back to find them."

Gray looked at the item in his hand and smiled. Natsu's lost scarf . He went to wrap the scarf around his neck when he found Natsu's Soul Crystal pendant nestled in the fabric. He placed both things around his neck, not trusting himself to not lose them. He brought the scarf up to his nose to catch a whiff of Natsu's scent, still strong from all the years he had worn it.

"We need to get back there. He needs our help.", Gray pleaded with Silver, "The things she did to him, I promised I would never let her take him again."

"I told you I would help you if she took out Keyes, I can't help until that happens."

"You coward."

Silver sighed. "Gray, there are a lot of things I need to explain to you. More than we have time to get into right now. If we go back there and Keyes focuses on me again I will be forced to fight you. You're right, you did see my body in Isvan but that was before Keyes the Necromancer found me and used me in an experiment. He was trying to create a corpse that could pass as a living being. I'm dead, Gray. I have been for 17 years. Until very recently, I thought you were dead too."

xxx

"Iron Dragon's Club"

Gajeel's arm began to transform and he ran at Tiamat sensing her distraction as the three remaining demons were preparing an attack.

"Iron Body"*

Tiamat's body transformed into iron protecting her from Gajeel's attack. She looked straight at Gajeel and smirked before she cast her next spell, her arm already reaching out for Gajeel's club.

"Corrosive Consumption"*

'Shit! I fell for her trap.' Gajeel desperately tried to release his club from the rest of his body as he realized that she had been expecting such a move but it was too late.

"Gotcha!", she crowed as she grabbed his arm.

"GAJEEL!", Natsu screamed.

Gajeel felt a searing pain start at a small spot on his arm. He could already feel it expanding towards the rest of his body and he screamed in agony as his body felt like it was burning all around him.

Natsu looked around for anything that could help Gajeel. He thought about covering the Iron Dragon Slayer in his fire but he wasn't sure it would help. He wished Gray was here, at least he could cover him in ice slowing down the effects on Gajeel's body. Natsu felt the fear that had been gripping him start to ebb as his anger at this being and all the damage she had caused rose to replace it.

"The hell with this!", Natsu yelled.

"Salamander, whatever you're planning on doing stop it. Get the hell out of here while you still can. Think about who's at stake here, damnit!", Gajeel yelled out in pained gasps.

Natsu ignored him. He covered one fist in fire and the other in lightning. He stared at Tiamat with rage and swung his arms creating a vortex of fire and lightning all around him. He fed more and more magic into it trying to make the flames as hot as he was able and prepared to hurl the vortex at Tiamat.

Tiamat sneered at him with disdain. "Do your worst."

"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Fire Blade"*

Tiamat let go of Gajeel's arm as she prepared to defend herself from Natsu's incoming attack. She was knocked back and her iron body began to heat up uncomfortably. She grunted with discomfort as she released her Iron Body spell and faced her mate with a combination of surprise and fury.

"Gajeel, can you turn your body back to normal?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, this feels like acid."

Natsu cursed. "Get out of here, go find Levy or Juvia they might be able to flush it off of you."

"I'm not leaving you alone with her.", Gajeel grunted trying to hide his ever growing pain.

"Oh, we've been alone before, haven't we? From what I remember he enjoyed it quite a lot.", Tiamat interjected, leering at the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Natsu glared at her. "You raped me, you bitch. I did not enjoy any part of it."

Tiamat scoffed, "You keep telling yourself that, lover. I would not have been able to get your magic from you if that were true."

She whirled around as she felt rather than saw the attack coming from Keyes, his body already dissolved into devil particles. He would be annoying to deal with, she made a quick decision and smiled.

"So you're a demon are you? Let's see how you do with real demons."

"Plane Shift: Abyss"*

They all looked in horror as the skeletal demon's particles began to shimmer and fade until disappearing into nothingness. She felt the magic signature of Acnologia getting ever closer and decided the time for games was over. She needed to grab Natsu and get the hell out of there before she was forced into a conflict she was not ready for considering how many high level spells she had already cast that day. She shape shifted into her five headed humanoid avatar.

Torafuzar (shark guy) and Jackal looked at each other, their confidence waning. Tiamat had defeated the other Demon Gates easily. They had only one chance to get out of this and it would require them to attack simultaneously. They both transformed into their Etherious forms and advanced on her quickly Jackal sending out explosion after explosion at the avatar trying to blind him while Torafuzar cast his Tenchi Kamei curse. Black water began to engulf Tiamat.

She rolled all her eyes in amusement at their folly. Four of Tiamat's heads began to speak at the same time, each casting a different spell. Outside of her dragon form this was her ultimate weapon, allowing her to cast up to five spells at once.

"ForceCage: Windowless Cell"*

"Baleful Polymorph"*

"Flesh to Stone"*

"Stone Shape"*

Tiamat giggled as she saw the end result of her spells and the sound was rather unnatural coming from all five of her male avatar's heads. In front of her was a 10 ft cube made up entirely of water. Inside a goldfish could be seen swimming around while a stone treasure chest sat at the bottom.

She looked to Gajeel and Natsu and pointed at the cage.

"Come on, you have to admit that's funny."

They both looked at her in consternation.

Gajeel looked at her his expression serious, he panted out, "Lady, you've got some serious issues."

"Well, enough of this. Come on Natsu, we have to go.", Tiamat gestured the Fire Dragon Slayer to come with her.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I don't have time to play games. Acnologia is coming. Let's go!", Tiamat insisted in a seething tone, furious at his disobedience.

Gajeel and Natsu's breaths hitched at the mention of the black dragon that had cost them almost seven years of their lives.

"No."

"Gajeel, for the last time get out of here and get help. There's nothing you can do here."

"Natsu, Gajeel where's Gray?", a familiar voice, which normally would grate on Natsu's nerves, spoke up somewhere behind him, his tone worried. Natsu could have wept from happiness to hear Lyon's voice.

"Lyon, thank the gods! Hurry, cover Gajeel in as much ice as you can.", Natsu ordered without turning around.

"What?", Lyon asked in confusion.

"Just do it."

Lyon decided to trust Natsu and began to cover Gajeel in a thick layer of ice. The Iron Dragon Slayer glared at Natsu as he began to freeze but he thought he understood what the Fire Dragon Slayer was trying to accomplish. Soon he was completely covered and Lyon looked at Natsu expectantly. Loke appeared then and looked at the scene in front of him, confusion marring his features.

"That isn't Gray in there is it?", Loke asked looking at the goldfish with concern.

Natsu ignored him and concentrated on the heat of his flames. For his plan to work he needed to make sure they were only hot enough to melt the water not evaporate it. If he was correct the water would wash the acid off of Gajeel's skin. He turned his body towards his sometimes rival and readied himself by placing his two hands in front of his mouth, one in front of the other to create a focus point for his flames.

"Fire Dragon Roar"

He saw the ice begin to melt into water and travel down Gajeel's body and smiled as he saw the Iron Dragon Slayer's breathing become less labored. His plan had worked.

"Where is Gray?", Lyon asked again, "And who's that?"

"The Ice Devil Slayer grabbed him and took him away and that is Tiamat.", Gajeel informed him. "I never thought I'd say this but thanks for the ice."

Lyon nodded, keeping his eyes fastened on Tiamat. So far he did not feel the same fear he had felt the last time he had been in her presence but he was still wary.

"I didn't want to have to do this but you have given me no other choice. I am not risking our child's life because of your stubborness. What kind of mother do you think I am?", Tiamat yelled at Natsu.

A red gemstone materialized in the avatar's hand and he fixed his gaze on Natsu. "Last chance to come with me willingly."

Natsu shook his head in defiance. He covered his body in flames, preparing to defend himself from whatever Tiamat had planned for him. There was no way in hell he was going anywhere with that figure that populated his worst nightmares.

TIamat looked at him with contempt and spat out:

"Trap the Soul"*

Natsu screamed as his body disintegrated and flew into the red gem.

"NATSU!", Loke yelled.

Gajeel, Lyon and Loke looked on in horror unable to do anything to stop what was happening. Natsu's screams still ringing in their ears.

Tiamat cackled evilly filled with pleasure at the despair she saw in their faces. She readied to teleport out quickly.

xxx

A/N: Holy smokes she was a busy little deity in this chapter! Below are the spells she used and a general description of what they do. I promise she won't be able to continue to do this forever. There is a hard limit to how many spells and which levels she can cast in any given day but she is a goddess so she packs a punch. Thank you to EclipsingParadise, SilverWhiteDragon and ClumsyKat for your reviews. They are appreciated and enjoyed as always. I hope you find this chapter exciting, it was a little rough to write as I had a bit of a difficult week and I lost about an hours worth of work that had to be rewritten :(. There is a lot more to come in the coming chapters. Thanks for your support!

Iron Body (Lvl 8) - This spell transforms your body into living iron, which grants you several powerful resistances and abilities. You are immune to blindness, critical hits, deafness, disease, drowning, electricity, poisonm stunning and all spells or attacks that affect your phisiology or respiration. The duration of the spell is 1 min/level (D).

Corrosive Consumption (Lvl 5) - With a touch, this spell causes a small, rapidly growing patch of corrosive acid to appear on the target which will get progressively larger until it covers the target's entire body. The target can scrape off the acid, or can wash it off with at least 1 gallon of liquid to stop the damage.

Plane Shift (Lvl 7) - You move yourself or some other creature to another plane of existence or alternate dimension. Precise accuracy as to a particular arrival location on the intended plane is nigh impossible. From the Material Plane, you can reach any other plane, though you appear 5 to 500 miles (5d%) from your intended destination. Note: Plane shift transports creatures instantaneously and then ends. The creatures need to find other means if they are to travel back. The Abyss is a plane in Forgotten Realms that is considered the birthplace of demons. It is **not** a nice place.

Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Fire Blade - is the spell that Natsu used to defeat Hades.

ForceCage (Lvl 7) - This powerful spell brings into being an immobile, invisible cubical prison composed of either bars of force or solid walls of force (your choice). Windowless Cell -This version of the spell produces a 10-foot cube with no way in and no way out. Solid walls of force form its six sides.

Baleful Polymorph (Lvl 5) - You change the subject into a Small or smaller animal of no more than 1 HD (such as a dog, lizard, monkey, or toad). The subject takes on all the statistics and special abilities of an average member of the new form in place of its own.

Flesh to Stone (Lvl 6) - The subject, along with all its carried gear, turns into a mindless, inert statue. If the statue resulting from this spell is broken or damaged, the subject (if ever returned to its original state) has similar damage or deformities. The creature is not dead, but it does not seem to be alive either when viewed with spells.

Stone Shape (Lvl 4) - You can form an existing piece of stone into any shape that suits your purpose. While it's possible to make crude coffers, doors, and so forth with stone shape, fine detail isn't possible. There is a 30% chance that any shape including moving parts simply doesn't work.

Trap the Soul (Lvl 8 ) - Trap the soul forces a creature's life force (and its material body) into a gem. The gem holds the trapped entity indefinitely or until the gem is broken and the life force is released, which allows the material body to reform. If the trapped creature is a powerful creature from another plane it can be required to perform a service immediately upon being freed. Otherwise, the creature can go free once the gem imprisoning it is broken.


	29. Full Disclosure

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 28: Full Disclosure

Wendy and Carla materialized on the Tartaros Cube, a tired Doranbolt at their side. Wendy had defeated one of the Demon Gates, Ezel, and had also deactivated the Face pulse bomb with only Carla for help. It had been very close and if Doranbolt hadn't shown up when he did they would not have made it out alive. They had been too tired to escape the blast radius from the explosion they had created to destroy Face once and for all. Wendy could not wait to find Natsu-san to tell him everything that had happened knowing how proud the Fire Dragon Slayer would be of her. She had even activated Dragon Force for the first time!

They looked around for the other mages from Fairy Tail when they began to hear Warren Rocko in their heads.

"Everyone listen up. Tiamat is here. Natsu, Gajeel and Gray are facing her as well as 4 of those Demon Gates. They are fighting close to the castle entrance. Natsu and Gajeel might be injured. Orga and Sherria you need to get there as soon as possible. Justin, teleport Natsu out of there. He is Tiamat's objective. Please hurry, but be careful. Happy saw her use a kill spell."

"Lyon and Loke should already be there.", Lucy added, "They headed that way about 10 minutes ago."

'Tiamat was after Natsu. If Natsu was the mate then who was the child she had been talking about?', Zeref was furious with himself that he had not asked more questions of the Dragon Goddess when he had the chance. He wanted to go before Acnologia arrived and he could feel him getting ever closer but he could not deny the cold anger that was coursing through him. He needed to know if Tiamat had anything to do with the changes he had sensed in his brother. He would stay and observe, if it seemed her plans were in direct conflict with his he would interfere, Acnologia be damned.

"Makarov here. Sting, can you hear us? What's the plan?"

"Sting here, all active Slayers and S-Class prepare for battle. Dragon Slayers and S-Class, go in hard. Try to surround her. Distract her so the God Slayers can get in position. Rogue, try not to give her your magic. The last thing we need is for her to get another power boost. Defensive spells only. Levy, you're on support. Stay out of sight if you can, but keep the Slayers fed. Exceeds, I want you to provide support as well. If it looks like someone is falling fly them out of there fast. Take them to Porlyusica. Everyone else take out these damn soldiers once and for all."

"Doranbolt here, I can teleport Natsu out as well if needed.", Doranbolt began to run in the direction Warren had indicated. He would not teleport there, he didn't want to risk running out of magic before he got to Natsu.

Wendy clenched her fists to her sides, her posture determined. She started to move towards the castle she had flown out of an hour earlier.

"No, absolutely not, child!", Carla tried to hold her back, "You've already done enough."

"Carla, they're hurt. They need me.", Wendy said simply, no doubt in her voice.

"You're exhausted, you could barely stand a few minutes ago. Doranbolt, stop her!", Carla pleaded.

Doranbolt stopped and looked back at Wendy. He could tell from her demeanor that she had made up her mind. He wasn't going to try to stop her, she had proven herself out there today. She was no longer a little girl to be protected at all costs. She could hold her own. He waited for her to catch up to him.

"I'm going, and that's final.", Wendy stated. "Warren, this is Wendy. I'm headed over there now. I'll heal them if I can."

"Erza?", Makarov called out.

"I am fighting a Demon but I...will make my way there... as soon as... I am able.", Erza replied, a strain noticeable in her voice.

Natsu had saved them all more times than they could count. All of the mages were determined that this time, they would get to their Fire Dragon Slayer in time. They refused to let Tiamat take him away from them.

"This is Silver Fullbuster, I'm a Slayer type mage as well. I promised my son I would help so tell me where you want me."

"Your son?", Makarov asked cautiosly.

"Yes, Gray is my son. He disappeared just now, I'm not entirely sure what happened."

A chorus of "What?" could be heard from all the connected mages.

"Isn't Gray with Gajeel and Natsu?", Makarov asked in confusion.

"Well he was, until I grabbed him and pulled him away.", Silver explained.

"You mean Natsu and Gajeel are fighting Tiamat and 4 demons alone?!", Makarov sputtered.

"Well, 3 demons. Technically I'm one of the original 4.", Silver chuckled nervously.

"Sting here, Silver what kind of Slayer are you? Am I to understand you are now on our side?"

"I'm an Ice Devil Slayer. I'm on Gray and Natsu's side."

"Good enough for me, head back to where you were before and help the other Slayers try to surround her. Don't hold back.", Sting replied.

"Understood."

Silver ran back towards where he had left the two Dragon Slayers earlier. He was worried about Gray. One moment they had been talking and the next Gray had let out a shriek as his body disintegrated into small particles that darted in the direction Silver was now headed. He had been about to follow when he heard the voice in his head and not sensing Keyes anywhere decided to join the attack. Silver heard shouts and doubled his efforts just in time to see Gray's particles entering a red gem stone. A humanoid creature with five dragon heads, that he assumed was Tiamat in another guise, was holding it in one of its hands. The creature was looking at the stone with apprehension.

Tiamat looked down in disbelief as the gem stone began to glow and shake in her hand. The hardened surface attempted to accomodate the new contents but its structure was too rigid to allow any expansion. Its shaking was becoming more pronounced and more urgent until the gem exploded, sending a myriad of sharp edged fragments and dispelled magical energy back at her. She winced in pain as she felt the blood begin to trickle down her body from every fragment that had managed to pierce her skin. Her heads pounded from the impact of the dispelled magic. 'Damnit!'

She shifted back to her Dark Lady avatar but her wounds were reflected in this body as well. She was running out of options and she knew it. Acnologia was coming and she had already wasted too much power getting rid of the demons. She cursed herself for allowing those other mages to leave. She knew they would return soon with reinforcements. Trap the Soul had been her ace in the hole to get Natsu to come with her and it had literally just blown up in her face. She now understood why she had no longer been able to feel her connection to Natsu, the son of a bitch had managed to sever it and bind himself to his own mate while she had been recovering from her injuries. She looked at the two boys noticing their reconstituted bodies. She watched them and tried to figure out what they could have done to override her claim on Natsu.

"What happened? How did I get here?", Gray asked Natsu trying to understand how he had gotten back. They had not gotten up from the ground yet. It was a rather disconcerting feeling to have your body dissolve into many small pieces and then put itself back together.

"I think she was trying to trap me in that gem to force me to leave with her but she wasn't counting on you showing up as well."

"I take back every bad thing I ever said about the Soul Bind.", Natsu whispered as he beamed at Gray.

Gray snorted. "I seem to recall you saying the exact opposite when Franmalth tried to remove your soul earlier."

Natsu shrugged, he didn't really dwell on the past.

Gray rolled his eyes at the fire mage. He took off the scarf and wrapped it back around his mate's neck, where it belonged. He removed the Soul Crystal and placed that around Natsu's neck as well. "Be careful where you leave that, Squinty Eyes."

Tiamat's eyes were immediately drawn to the pendant, it didn't look that different from the gem she had held in her hand a few minutes ago. It had to be a Soul Crystal. If Natsu had bound his soul with his mate's there was nothing she could do about it. It certainly explained why her spell had backfired. She clenched her fists in frustration. Nothing was going the way she wanted.

"My stuff! Where did you find it?", Natsu ignored the insult and fingered his scarf happily.

"My dad gave it to me. He'd been holding it for you.", Gray responded.

"Silver is your dad?"

Gray nodded with a closed expression. Natsu punched him in the arm playfully.

"I tried to tell you he smelled like you but you didn't let me finish. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little overwhelmed."

Natsu moved to comfort his mate. It had been a very long day for both of them and he knew he had put Gray through a lot, not to mention finding out your father was alive after all these years. He offered a quick hug and let him go but Gray grabbed him right back needing the reassurance of Natsu's body against his own for a while longer. He gave him a quick kiss which turned into a longer one as Natsu responded, neither one ready to let go of the other yet.

"Are you two serious right now? Really not the fucking time.", Gajeel growled at them.

They both startled and looked around them in surprise, for a minute they had managed to forget where they were. They separated and Natsu stood up and offered Gray a hand to pull him up.

"You ruined everything!", Natsu turned towards the shrill voice and was met with Tiamat's barely contained fury. It was a little terrifying but at the same time it made him feel good to know that he was the cause of it. He was getting ready to retort when Silver picked him up by his scarf and placed him behind him firmly. Silver, Sting, Rogue, Loke, Lyon, Makarov and Mira slowly formed a circle around Tiamat while Wendy healed Gajeel a little further behind them. He could vaguely make out Orga and Sherria in the background and he thought he saw someone in the shadows but he couldn't be sure.

"What are you doing?", Natsu asked Silver. He didn't care if he was Gray's father, he did not appreciate being treated like a child.

"Helping, now stay behind me and keep your mouth shut. You don't need to piss her off any more than she already is.", Silver told him without even turning around, his tone implying he would not put up with any crap.

"I'm not some kind of princess that needs to be rescued. I can fight too.", Natsu argued, "I'm the strongest Dragon Slayer here."

"I don't doubt that kid but you're also the one she wants. It would be bad strategy to just hand you over, wouldn't you agree?"

Tiamat decided to cut her losses, it's not like she had actually wanted to make the dragon slayer hers. She had only wanted to hurt Igneel. The child however, was another matter, him she desperately wanted.

"You want to break up? Fine, we can break up. I'll just take my child and go."

"Like hell you're taking him.", Natsu said coldly, "He belongs with us."

"What child? What is she talking about?", Silver asked

"She's talking about our child.", Gray explained.

"You have a child? Where is he?", Silver's voice rose with excitement.

"It's complicated, he's inside Natsu."

"Inside...Natsu. Your boyfriend is...pregnant?"

"I told you, it's complicated. Now is really not the time old man."

"He does not belong to the two of you. You in particular, ice mage, had absolutely nothing to do with it.", Tiamat sneered at Gray while muttering "Mislead"* under her breath. She stayed very still as the illusion manifested on top of her body while she once again became invisible. She concentrated on making her double look like she was listening to Gray as she slowly moved towards Natsu. She did not want to give away her position.

"Is that so? I forget, whose body did you use when you gave my mate the solution that induced his heat? Or when you raped and impregnated him just to get back at Igneel?", Gray's voice was getting louder with every word he uttered. It was positively dripping with venom, "Or when you beat him within an inch of his life all while keeping him bound in magic sealing cuffs? Don't you dare tell me I had nothing to do with it because you're the one who chose to put me right in the middle of it.", He finally had the creature responsible for all of Natsu's pain and torment in front of him and for the first time in his life he thought he might be capable of killing in cold blood. He tried to get himself back under control. He needed to fight smart.

Tiamat's double stared at Gray, an evil smirk on her face but she did not comment on his outburst.

'Igneel, always fucking Igneel.', Zeref thought to himself.

He was livid. Tiamat had done all those things to his brother because of Igneel. That red dragon had been the cause of more of Natsu's misfortunes than even Zeref himself. He was even more frustrated to realize that Acnologia would be arriving any moment and all five of the dragon slayers that had gone through the Eclipse Gate were here. Were they ready? The 400 year plan was nearing it's conclusion and it could all be derailed because of Igneel's fucking personal issues siccing this monster on his brother. He chose to ignore the nagging voice that tried to remind him that part of the events that were unfolding could also be traced back to him.

Gray felt a slight tug on his pants leg and he looked down to see what was causing it. Happy was looking up at him with a worried expression on his face.

"Gray?", the Exceed asked in a small voice, "What's raped?"

'Gray, you fucking moron, you shouldn't have said all that.' He'd let his anger cloud his judgment and he had not thought about what he was actually saying. 'Oh crap! Natsu.'

Gray picked the Exceed up and said quietly, "It's a vey bad thing that happened to Natsu, but we're going to help him get over it, ok?"

The Exceed nodded hesitantly.

Then he whispered, "Just don't bring it up to him, ok? He doesn't like to remember it."

Gray gave him a quick hug and put him down. He hoped that Natsu wasn't too upset with him for his outburst.

"That's it, I can't listen to any more of this.", Silver was having a hard time wrapping his head around all of the things that kept coming out in regards to his son. Mates, soul binds, solutions that could cause pregnancy in males, not to mention all the things that had apparently happened to Natsu. What the hell had he gotten himself into? He turned towards Tiamat, "I really wish you were a demon."

Silver unleashed his first attack. "Ice Devil's Rage"

The other Slayers immediately unleashed their own breath attacks one after the other, not giving Tiamat a chance to respond to the onslaught.

"Sky Dragon Roar"

"White Dragon Holy Breath"

"Iron Dragon Roar"

The Cube shook from the amount of magical energy that was being thrown about and still Tiamat remained unfazed. So far the only damage they could see on her had come from the recoil of her own spell. Sherria was ready as soon as the Slayer's breath attacks had finished. Since they weren't sure whether Tiamat was immune to lightning they had decided to let Sherria attack first with Orga providing backup until they were certain how effective he was going to be.

"Sky God Boreas"

Two large spirals of black currents materialized around Sherria's body spiralling towards her open right hand. She let them expand and unite around her until there was a massive whirlwind for her to control. With a fluid movement she hurled it towards Tiamat who did not try to block or otherwise react in any way to the incoming attack. Sherria frowned, something did not feel right. She watched closely as her attack made contact with its intended target and saw a flicker as the wind went right through her. She opened her mouth to say something to Orga but he had already begun to cast his own spell.

The air around Orga sizzled as sparks of black lightning materialized between his hands.

"Lightning God 120mm Black Lightning Cannon"

A beam of black lightning seemingly exploded from between Orga's hands straight to Tiamat's location in the center of their makeshift circle. He watched with anticipation as the beam made its way to his intended target, his expression changing as the beam went right through Tiamat and almost hit the Sky Dragon Slayer. Doranbolt appeared and quickly teleported her out of harm's way.

"Fuck! It's an illusion. Where is she?", Orga roared in frustration.

Gray paled as he realized there was only one place she could be. He ran towards Silver screaming at his father to turn around.

Natsu watched Gray tell off Tiamat. He had never seen Gray get that angry at anyone besides himself and Lyon before. He had to admit it was kind of a turn on. He noticed people looking at him after Gray was done talking but he wasn't sure why as he hadn't really been listening to the words. He shrugged. He'd have to ask him about it later.

He felt a strange tingling in his chest. At first he thought it was just related to the thoughts he was having about his mate but it quickly began to get stronger, and painful. He looked around him, his dragon senses telling him there was someone there even though his eyes couldn't see anyone. He tried to call out to Silver, who was still in front of him, but couldn't get more than a grunt out. He was starting to feel dizzy. He covered his hand in fire and projected some of his flames towards where he thought he had sensed someone. As the flames wrapped themselves around a definite humanoid shape he was able to make out Tiamat's outline, her arm outstretched in a pulling motion before the fire fizzled out. He once again tried to call out, to let someone know what was happening. Natsu's arm went up to his chest as the pain suddenly became unbearable and he collapsed to his knees. He could feel something coming out of his body and he screamed in panic.

xxx

A/N: I want to thank SilverWhiteDragon for betaing this chapter for me and being a great sounding board. Any mistakes are all mine. Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, I liked how all of you commented on different things in the chapter. I hope that everyone that is celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow has a wonderful holiday!

Warren's teleportation works as a mass broadcast that can be picked up by anyone within the range he is broadcasting to. Zeref and Silver both have Telepathy so it would be simple enough for them to pick it up regardless. Tiamat, Gajeel, Gray, Lyon, Loke and Natsu were outside of its range so they did not hear any of it.

Mislead (Lvl 6) - You become invisible (as greater invisibility, a glamer), and at the same time, an illusory double of you (as major image, a figment) appears. You are then free to go elsewhere while your double moves away. The double appears within range but thereafter moves as you direct it (which requires concentration beginning on the first round after the casting). You can make the figment appear superimposed perfectly over your own body so that observers don't notice an image appearing and you turning invisible. You and the figment can then move in different directions. The double moves at your speed and can talk and gesture as if it were real, but it cannot attack or cast spells, though it can pretend to do so.


	30. Spellfire

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 29: Spellfire

Igneel had been ignoring Kai for what felt to him like a long time. He had been watching whatever had been going on outside intently. He began to pace back and forth snarling under his breath "He's coming. But is it the right time?".

"What's going on?", Kai asked. He looked at Igneel nervously, "The right time for what?"

The red dragon looked at his grandson and made up his mind. "Kai, the time has come for me to destroy Acnologia once and for all."

In a softer tone he added, "I have to go."

"Grandfather, no!", Kai exclaimed with more than a hint of panic to his voice.

"We both knew this day was coming, youngling. I've taught you everything I can. The rest will be up to you. When you're born your father will take care of you, but you should also take care of him, ok?"

Kai nodded solemnly. His little eyes scrunched up as he tried to hold back his tears.

"We'll see each other again. If not in this world in the Dragon Eyrie."

Igneel looked at the little boy trying to act brave for his sake and his heart just about burst. He felt confident Kai would be ok. He turned his attention back to what was happening outside. He noticed Natsu's distress just as he felt a strange magic entering the Astral Plane where they had taken residence and heard Kai's whimpers.

He quickly checked on the little boy and his blood began to boil as he saw a portal had appeared. A large phantasmal hand had wrapped itself around Kai's body. It was pulling him towards the open door.

"Kai!", Igneel yelled trying to figure out what to do, "Can you unmake your form like last time?"

Kai struggled against the hand that encased him and although his whole body flickered briefly the hand held him firm.

"I--I can't", Kai grunted.

Igneel grabbed Kai and pulled with all his might, ignoring the child's discomfort. He managed to weaken the hold the hand had on his grandson and he threw Kai behind him as he faced the portal.

"Fly away!"

"What's happening?!", Kai screeched as he shifted into his dragon form in mid air and flew further away.

"You don't have to worry about it, I'll take care of it." Igneel allowed the groping hand to take him. He knew who would be waiting for him on the other side. He braced himself and grimaced. Surely there would be enough time to deal with this unexpected situation before Acnologia arrived.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" was the last thing Igneel heard before he came out of Natsu to face a furious Dragon Goddess.

xxx

The pain stopped as quickly as it had started. There was a loud noise as all the mages screamed in panic followed by an unsettling silence and then something improbable happened. Natsu heard Igneel speak using a voice reserved for when he was in serious trouble.

"Stop this, Tiamat. I'm the one you want, leave Kai out of this."

Natsu felt strong arms lift his torso from the ground as his back was pressed against another's chest. In his confusion, it took him a moment to recognize the scent that surrounded him. The arms wrapped themselves around him protectively. He allowed himself to relax in the hold.

"Igneel? Who's Kai?" Natsu said weakly as everything around him turned black and he surrendered to it gratefully, feeling safe for the time being.

Zeref stepped into the darkness of his Immobility Spell, his gaze traveled from Natsu to his mate. He studied the ice mage carefully. He shifted his gaze to the Dragon Goddess who was once again using some kind of Invisibility spell until finally resting on the red dragon who was staring back at him warily.

"I should have known this would somehow be your fault.", Zeref snarled.

"Zeref.", Igneel greeted him levelly, ignoring the accusation, "I take it this is your doing?" Igneel gestured towards the motionless bodies around them.

"You bastard. You could have stopped it at any time. How could you have let her do this to Natsu?"

"Do you think it was easy for me?", Igneel growled, "I had to watch it happen and I couldn't interfere or your precious plan would have been ruined. No interference. You were quite clear on that point or do you not remember that?"

"Don't you dare try to pin this on me, you overgrown lizard! You were supposed to keep him safe.", Zeref said anger marring his usual smooth features, "If I had been there, I would have protected him."

"Really? Just like you did on Tenrou Island? You were a great help there as I recall.", Igneel spat out sarcastically.

"You lied to me.", Zeref raged, "You were just supposed to help him but you took him away from me and kept him for yourself."

Igneel sighed. This was the root of their conflict, as always. They'd had this conversation many times over. Zeref would not forgive him for removing Natsu's memories. He supposed he could not blame him but it was the only available solution at the time and he had never regretted doing it.

"This is getting us nowhere. You must have noticed that Acnologia is almost here. What are we going to do with her?"

"Why should I do anything? Her quarrel is with you not me. Let her take the kid and go. He's not my problem. She's already said she'll leave Natsu alone.", Zeref shrugged.

"You can't do that! He's your nephew.", Igneel said quickly. His brain was racing to come up with a way to enlist Zeref's help.

Zeref looked at him impassively. "He is the product of a rape, why would Natsu want to keep him around?"

"Your nephew, Kai...he looks just like Natsu did, except he has the ice mage's eyes. He's sweet and smart and funny and mischievous. And his smile... his smile feels like sunshine.", Igneel looked at Zeref pleadingly, "I know you remember what that feels like. Give up whatever you're planning, Zeref. Tell Natsu who you are, let him accept you. You could be a family again. He's still the same boy you knew, he still feels a connection to you, he just doesn't understand why. But he wants to know, I could feel it when he talked to you."

Igneel could see his words were having effect on the dark wizard.

"Kai's a demi-god, and he's powerful. More powerful than E.N.D. could ever be. Right now he hates Tiamat but if you let her take him, she will corrupt him. She can be quite charming when it suits her purpose and he's still just a little boy. He can become a problem for you later on."

He could see Zeref was thinking about that so he tried one last thing.

"He has the potential to lift your curse once he masters his godly powers. He might not do it it for the Black Wizard, but he would do it for his Uncle Zeref. He knows who you are, if you abandon him now you'll lose any chance of that happening."

"How could he know who I am? You're bluffing."

"He figured out a way to see into Natsu's memories. *All* of them.", Igneel's tone left no doubt as to his meaning. "You're also forgetting one glaring detail."

"What's that?", Zeref scoffed but he sounded uncertain.

"Natsu wants his son.", Igneel finished simply, "He's willing to die for him. Tell me, what would that do to your precious plans?"

"What is this Soul Binding Natsu mentioned earlier?"

"It's an ancient ritual between a dragon and a human. Natsu and Gray's souls and lives are now bound together. They are two parts of one whole.", Igneel explained.

"If Gray dies?"

"Natsu will also die and if you ever go through with your plans, all 3 of you will die.", Igneel said sadly, "But it doesn't have to be that way. If you help me save Kai you could live instead. Besides, I would have thought that you would have wanted to take your revenge on her."

'She's not the one that got him killed in the first place.', Zeref thought. He stared at the dragon as he considered what Igneel had told him. He'd already waited all this time, he could hold off for a bit longer. Time didn't really mean much to him anymore. If there was any credible chance of him getting his curse lifted he was willing to try it.

Zeref looked back to the Dragon Goddess who was glaring at the place where Igneel had been, a mask of absolute hatred on her face.

"Fine. I'll help you. What is it you want me to do?"

"What can you do?", Igneel asked hopefully.

"I can't kill her, she is immortal but I think I can weaken her."

Zeref calmed himself. He reminded himself that he need to weaken this deity to further his goals. He had no personal animosity towards her, she was a tool. A pawn that needed to be taught a lesson. Nothing more, nothing less. When he was sure he had his previously churning emotions under control he called on his Black Magic.

He closed his eyes and begain to collect dark matter in the palm of his hand. He opened his eyes and waited until enough matter had collected to satisfy his needs.

"Stygian Blast Circle"

He watched Tiamat dispassionately as he aimed the spell at her frozen figure. He repeated the process until he had hit her with the spell a total of 3 times.

He looked at her thoughtfully and placed his hands in front of him one above the other with palms facing. He collected light energy between them and rotated his hands.

"Law"

He clapped his hands and unleashed the spell aiming it at Tiamat.

"That should be enough to level the playing field.", he muttered. He looked at Igneel, "Are you ready?"

Igneel took a deep breath and nodded. Zeref moved away looking back at him, "Don't screw this up. I will release the spell when I have made it back to the wall."

Igneel took a moment to look at the still figures of Natsu and Gray as he waited for time to return to normal. He smiled at the concern that was clearly written all over Gray's face as he looked down at Natsu. His son had found himself a good mate. He knew Kai would be happy with them. All he had to do was make that future happen.

Zeref made his way back to the wall that was shrouded in darkness. He released the Immobility spell and settled in to watch the effects of his work. He smirked as he listened to the thuds from his spells impacting one after the other culminating with the bright light from Law.

The mages were standing open mouthed not understanding anything that was happening in front of them. Vast amounts of magic converged on a point close to where Natsu lay unconscious. They were not able to see Tiamat. They could only hear her shrieks of rage as spell after spell hit her body. A bright light appeared and Tiamat could finally be seen. Her hair was disheveled, her cloak tattered and she was absolutely at the mercy of a spell that felt similar to the Master's Fairy Law.

"Did I just see a dragon come out of your boyfriend?", Silver asked nonchalantly, "Is this a normal thing that he does?"

"I think I heard him say that was his father.", Gray answered in a daze. All this time Natsu had been looking for Igneel he had been inside him? That had to hurt. He gently rubbed circles on Natsu's arms wanting to give him some comfort even if the dragon slayer couldn't feel it at the moment.

"His father is a dragon? You know what, never mind. We need to move Natsu away from here."

Gray nodded in agreement and stood up carefully draping Natsu over his shoulder so that he could mold his ice magic if needed. He headed towards Sting and the other dragon slayers who were looking at Igneel in awe. Gray placed Natsu on the ground near Wendy.

"Can you check that he's alright?"

"Of course.", Wendy used her magic to check Natsu for injuries. "He's fine, he should wake up soon. The little guy however, seems agitated."

Gray smiled at Wendy, relieved. At least now he knew that their son was still alive. "Thanks."

He turned his attention back to Igneel and TIamat. The red dragon had moved placing himself between the dragon slayers and the Dragon Goddess. Tiamat's breathing was ragged and she had more injuries although no one seemed to know where the attacks had come from. Everyone looked at the God Slayers expectantly but they looked as confused as everyone else.

Tiamat puzzled over her injuries. She had gotten hit by 4 spells that seemingly came out of nowhere. She knew that not one of the wizards who had been fighting her was capable of injuring her in this manner. She thought about the wizard she had met earlier, Zeref. His magical power had been immense. She wondered if she had done something to make him decide to become involved. Tiamat morphed into her dragon form, her five heads glaring at Igneel equally. Igneel stayed calm waiting for her to make the first move.

"I want my son!", her five heads screamed at Igneel causing the mages to cover their ears from discomfort.

"No."

"Do you really think you can deny me what I want?", Tiamat replied haughtily.

"What happened to you? You used to be so much...more.", Igneel asked her sadly. He tried to find any shred of the dragon he had once loved in the haughty, conniving figure in front of him but there was none. There was only selfishness, hatred and fury to be found.

"What happened to me? You happened to me. You chose these insects over me. You taught them how to kill us, gave them our magic. Then you watched while they destroyed all my beautiful dragons. They banished me!"

"It was war Tiamat, we made a bad decision. Aconologia is almost here, help us destroy him. He is the one you should be after anyway. He is the one who killed all your dragons."

"I will take my child and go.", she said stubbornly.

"I can't let you do that."

"Oi Igneel.", Natsu had finally woken and was watching the red dragon with a mixture of love and anger, "Were you really inside me this whole time? Who is Kai?"

"Natsu. What have I told you about interrupting a conversation?"

"But--"

"When I am done here I will be happy to tell you anything you want to know but right now I need you to not make a nuisance of yourself.", Igneel snapped.

Natsu was hurt by the dragon's words but Gray slapped him on the back of the head.

"Baka, he just wants to make sure Tiamat doesn't focus on you again."

Natsu looked at Gray in confusion. Gray sighed at how dense the dragon slayer could be at times. As brilliant as he could be in battle, reading into words was not his forte.

"Natsu, she was trying to get the kid out of you but Igneel came out instead. That means there's no one inside you to protect him now.", Gray explained quietly, "Igneel is just trying to keep the two of you safe but if you keep talking she will be reminded of your presence and she might chose to attack you again."

"Oh, well why didn't he just say so then."

An unholy screech could be heard in the distance and every member of Fairy Tail that had been present on Tenrou Island for the S-Class trials froze at the sound. They knew there was nowhere they could go to hide from the monster that made that sound. Makarov made his way over to Natsu preparing defensive spells as he went.

BADUMP...BADUMP. Wendy, Gajeel, Sting and Rogue began to feel a tightening in their chests and what felt like a separate heartbeat inside them. They looked at each other with uncertainty . What was happening to them and why was Natsu the only one who didn't seem to be affected? They all looked at Igneel, a cherished hope blooming in their hearts. BADUMP...BADUMP. Their skin began to get hotter and they felt like they might faint at any moment from the pressure in their bodies. BADUMP...BADUMP. Soon the dragon slayer's bodies began to glow and one by one they brought their hands up to their chests. Their faces showed discomfort and trepidation. A bright light emitted from each dragon slayer and once it disappeared a dragon could be seen in front of them. Metallicana, Grandine, Weisslogia and Skiadrum looked down at their children fondly before moving to stand behind Igneel.

Igneel nodded at the dragons in acknowledgment never taking his eyes off of Tiamat. He had seen the desperation in her face when she heard Acnologia's screech and it made him even more wary of her.

Tiamat began to take stock of herself. The damage she had received would keep her from casting too many more spells. She was looking at a battle with five dragons with Acnologia minutes away. She assessed the other dragons. Igneel was the strongest by far and the most likely to defend the Fire Dragon Slayer from her attacks. She needed to get Igneel out of the picture fast, grab the child and go before Acnologia arrived.

Igneel sensed her plan and took to the air with the other four dragons following.

"Go fight Acnologia, I will take care of Tiamat and join you shortly.", Igneel shouted at the other dragons.

"Are you sure? I can assist you.", Grandine offered.

"Yes, this is an unforeseen complication. I don't want this to disrupt our plan more than it already has."

Tiamat waited for the dragons to leave before joining Igneel in the air. She attacked with poison and lightning breath attacks. Igneel evaded them and retaliated with a Fire Dragons's Claw, piercing Tiamat's belly with his claws and pushing her away from the impact. Blood dripped from her wounds and she used her fire magic to help propel her towards Igneel. She used her heads to ram into him as hard as she could. The fire dragon was thrown back but caught himself changing direction and managing to get behind her. He picked one of her heads at random and bit the neck with his sharp teeth. He shook his head roughly trying to sever the head from her body. He managed to render that head useless.

Tiamat screamed in pain and tried to whip Igneel with her tail. She headed towards the castle to try to slam Igneel against its walls. Igneel waited until the last moment and let go. Tiamat was not able to stop her momentum and she hit the wall with her back. She howled in fury and set off after Igneel. They could hear sounds of the fight with Acnologia and Igneel started to worry. He knew he was by far the strongest out of the five dragons and if he didn't hurry there might not be enough dragons left to defeat Acnologia. That was not acceptable, he had given up to much for that to happen.

Tiamat used his distraction to her advantage. She readied breath attacks from her remaining 4 functioning heads and released them at the same time. They all hit Igneel at once. He was stunned, he fell to the ground and Natsu ran to him even as Gray and Makarov tried to stop him.

"I'll fight with you old man! Together there's nothing we can't defeat."

"Fire Dragon Roar"

Natsu sent his attack at Igneel who ate it gratefully.

The other four dragon slayers began throwing attacks at Tiamat trying to give Igneel some time to recover. Tiamat came ever closer to Igneel their attacks not injuring her in the slightest. She mocked them for their lack of skill and power and eyed Natsu hungrily. All she had to do was kill Igneel and everything she wanted would be hers. She readied herself to summon her kill spell when the Fire Dragon Slayer began to shake.

"Natsu! What's wrong?", Gray and Wendy rushed to Natsu's side as the shaking became more pronounced quickly turning into convulsions. Blood seeped out of his nose and mouth as something else came out of his body.

"What the hell?", Gajeel exclaimed. "What else do you have in there, Salamander?!"

Natsu shook his head at Gajeel, he was completely speechless.

"Finger of Death"

A small ghostly red dragon, about the size of a large bull, flew towards Igneel just as the deadly spell was going to hit the Fire Dragon King. His body became illuminated with an outline of blue flame. He held out one of his claw and the spell's beam veered toward it. Once he had collected all of the magical energy he redirected the energy of the spell back at his mother as a burst of blue flame. Tiamat didn't even bother to block as she was immune to fire magic. She was mildly impressed at the intensity and heat of the flame produced by his spell, even thought it would prove futile. When the fire reached her she was astonished to feel damage and grunted from the additional pain.

"Spellfire? How is it that you have Spellfire?", Tiamat looked at the small dragon in disbelief.

"Kai, what are you doing here?", Igneel shouted, "I told you I would take care of this."

"I couldn't let her hurt you.", Kai answered his eyes watery from the rebuke. He had absorbed too much energy, more than his little body could handle and he began to fall. He hit the ground with a loud thud and his body immediately changed into that of a ghostly young boy with pink hair. He tried to keep his eyes open, wanted desperately to catch a glimpse of his father for the first time but his eye lids kept getting heavier by the second. Natsu recognized the boy from his dream and rushed over to him Gray right behind him. He got there just in time for the boy to smile shyly and utter a question.

"Father?"

xxx

A/N I try to publish two chapters a week, I will most likely not be able to do that this week. I have a Holiday event that I am an organizer for that I have procrastinated too much on and so as my punishment for being irresponsible I will probably not be able to do much else until next Saturday evening or Sunday. I'm sorry about that and wanted to give you a heads up. Thank you to SilverWhiteDragon, EclipsingParadise and ClumsyKat for taking the time to write your reviews. I get really excited whenever I see them and if I am having a hard time writing I often go back and read them to gain inspiration. So thanks again!

Dragon Eyrie is kind of like Dragon heaven.

There will be more on Spellfire in the next chapter, just know it's a super rare and coveted ability.


	31. Kai

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 30: Kai

"KAI!", Igneel bellowed as he watched the small red dragon collapse after absorbing Tiamat's spell. Damnit, why hadn't he listened to him? He had allowed Tiamat to pull him out of Natsu so he could avoid Kai getting hurt. Once again he had been the cause of somebody else's pain. Igneel was beginning to think that Zeref was right about him. He brought nothing but misfortune to those who depended on him. If Kai died because of him he would never forgive himself, Natsu might never forgive him either. He looked over at Tiamat and he felt rage take over as he noted the greed with which she looked at the youngster. She had no maternal interest in Kai, just in the power she could acquire if she controlled him. He roared back to life driven by the hatred that coursed through his veins for the deity that single handedly derailed all their plans and caused Natsu so much pain.

Natsu was still somewhat dazed as he tried to make sense of what had just happened to him. Two dragons had somehow come out of his body. The first, the father he had been searching for incessantly since he woke up alone all those years ago. He couldn't even begin to process that. He had so much anger and longing and regret associated with Igneel. The second, the son he had only known about for several days. Kai, who was now lying unconscious at his feet, not as an infant like he and Gray had expected, but as both a red dragon and the smiling boy from his dream. How was that even possible? He supposed it must have something to do with that dummy god thing Lucy had mentioned. He examined Kai carefully. He could easily see that the boy was a mix of both his and Gray's features. Once his eyes had connected with Kai's he had felt an immediate bond with the boy which had only grown when he had called him Father. Natsu felt himself quickly falling in love for the second time in his life, and with it came an overwhelming need to protect. He felt his dragon instincts awakening within him. He shifted his attention to Tiamat who was staring down at his son with longing. He snarled a challenge and moved to block her view of Kai as his canines elongated and his skin became covered in the scales that were a tell tale sign of his impending Dragon Force.

Gray heard Natsu challenging Tiamat and gently picked Kai up and cradled him in his arms the way he remembered being held by his own parents. For some stupid reason he could not stop smiling as he peered down at their son who looked like a tiny version of Natsu. He was surprised by the timing of his appearance but not by the act itself. That had been a total Natsu move, protect without any thought to your own life. They were going to have their hands full with this one. Gray had gone from having no family to call his own to suddenly having a father, a son and a mate. Given his track record he wasn't sure how many of those he would still be able to lay claim to at the end of this fight but the thought that he had them warmed his usually chilled heart. He worried that Kai seemed like he was not completely in this world and he did not know what to do to help him, especially now that he was outside of Natsu's body. Silver stood next to him looking at the boy in his arms with stars in his eyes.

"Your son... is beautiful.", Silver said to Gray in awe, completely unfazed by the circumstances of his appearance. He was enraptured by the sight of Gray, his only son, holding his grandson in his arms. Just two months ago he'd thought that Gray had died along with his wife. He wished Mika had lived to see this, he made sure to capture every detail in his mind to share with her when he finally saw her again.

The sounds of the massive dragon battle were getting ever closer as the four dragons were being overpowered by Acnologia. Igneel heard his friends pained cries and he knew their combined power was not enough to accomplish what they had set out to do 400 years ago. He needed to go do his part but he had already sacrificed Natsu to this endeavor, he wasn't sure he could sacrifice Kai as well. He saw Tiamat begin to advance towards Gray and Kai and he began to snarl. He needed to make a decision and fast, there was just no way to fight them both at once.

Natsu saw the conflict in Igneel's face and immediately understood. Although it scared him to see his father leave again he knew that Igneel was the only one that stood a chance at defeating Acnologia. "Go fight Acnologia, it's what you're really here for isn't it?", Natsu urged Igneel with no trace of anger in his voice.

When Igneel did not move he snapped, "He's my son, do you really think I'm going to allow anyone to take him?"

"Now get out of here, we'll talk after you kick his ass!"

Igneel grinned at his son "That's a promise. Don't let your guard down."

Natsu grunted and watched Igneel take to the sky at full speed in search of the Black Dragon.

"What are you two idiots waiting for? Get the boy out of here.", Makarov yelled at them as he used his Giant magic to make himself bigger, "Take him to Porlyusica , maybe she can help him."

"I'm not going anywhere until she is no longer a threat.", Natsu glared daggers at the Dragon goddess. His body covered itself in flames and he began to run towards her gaining speed as he got closer to his target.

"Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade"

Natsu's head became a battering ram as he hit Tiamat with enough force to tackle her to the ground. He began to pummel her with his rage fueled fists as she readied a breath attack.

"Ice Devil Zeroth Destruction Bow"

"Damnit Natsu!", Silver yelled as he aimed his arrow at the large target and could not find a clean shot, "Get out of the way!"

"We'll handle her.", Makarov tried to assure them as he extended his arm to grab Natsu off of Tiamat before she could attack him.

Silver released his arrow and was gratified to hear her yelp. His ice did not melt. She was not immune to ice!

"She hurt Natsu.", Gray seethed as he put the child down and got into his molding stance.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you really going to just leave him there while you fight? Pick him back up, get him to safety. Lyon, get over here!", Silver commanded.

Lyon joined him and together they tried to keep her heads covered in ice to slow down her attacks. He looked back at Gray's frustrated expression and smirked. Gray scowled at the other ice mage but did as he was told.

Sting wanted to take advantage of her immobility and began to bark out orders for a blitz attack at the mages while Levy ran around replenishing the Slayer's energy reserves with her script magic.

"Listen up. You two knuckleheads are parents now, that means you have to start putting your child's needs before your own.", Makarov pointed at the boy in Gray's arms, his yells sounding louder than usual due to his Giant magic, " Look at him, while you two are wasting time arguing, he's fading! If you wait much longer you might not have a child left to save!"

Gray looked down at his son and finally realized Makarov was right, Kai was getting fainter and Gray could barely feel any warmth coming from his body.

"Natsu, he's getting worse.", he called to his mate nervously, "Gramps is right, we need to get him help."

"What about Wendy or Sherria? They're right here.", Natsu was not thrilled with the idea of leaving the fight in the hands of others.

"Sherria is one of only two god slayers here, and everyone else is needed to fight.", Makarov replied with effort while grappling with Tiamat as the god slayers readied their attacks, "Would you like me to make it an order? Fine. Go, now!"

Gray started running towards the healer holding Kai against him carefully, leaving Natsu no choice but to release his Dragon Force and run after him. They heard Tiamat's screams of aggravation as they ran.

"Do you think he's going to be ok?", Gray asked looking down at the limp body in his arms.

"Of course he is.", Natsu replied cockily, "He's our son and we're practically indestructible."

Gray looked at his mate and laughed , "I guess we already know which one of us he takes after."

Natsu snorted in response. He was not happy leaving such a large threat behind especially when Igneel had left to fight Acnologia but if he had not gone with Gray and Kai his dragon instincts would have gone berserk. They continued to run in silence until they reached the makeshift infirmary. There were a lot of injured mages but for the most part it looked to be superficial injuries. There did not seem to be any more fighting in the area. Lucy spotted them and quickly ran to meet them. Juvia looked slightly embarassed and hung back.

"Oh thank the gods you're alright! We were so worried." Lucy hugged Natsu tightly and he tried very hard not to flinch at her attentions but he couldn't quite manage it. She quickly let go of him, cheeks reddened as she remembered his aversion to being touched.

"I'm sorry, Natsu."

"Don't worry about it.", Natsu gave Lucy a tentative smile, "Have you seen Porlyusica?"

"Yes, she's been working on making an antidote from the blood sample we brought her. Is someone hurt?"

"Yeah, we need to see her right away."

"Is it Gray?"

"PORLYUSICA!", Gray yelled. He didn't have time to play twenty questions with his friends.

"WHAT?", replied the cranky healer as she rushed to his side. She took one look at Kai and blanched.

"Is that Natsu? Was he hit with some sort of regression spell?", Porlyusica asked urgently, already trying to remember how to dispel an enchantment of that type. She did not notice Natsu standing further back.

"No, that's our son.", Gray began placing Kai on the ground at Porlyusica's behest, "He came out of Natsu as a dragon and he absorbed a spell that was meant to kill Igneel and used it to attack Tiamat but then he collapsed and turned into this little boy. Tiamat said he used something called Spellfire but we don't know what that is."

"Igneel is here?", Lucy searched Natsu's expression for an answer but he was focused on the little boy and didn't seem to hear her. Her own expression softened as she saw the concern in his eyes.

"Tiamat tried to take Kai from inside of Natsu but Igneel came out instead. All of the slayer's dragons are here as well, they were inside of them all along. They are off fighting Acnologia at the moment. Everyone else is still fighting Tiamat.", Gray filled Lucy in as he waited for Porlyusica to do something.

"Kai? You named him already?", Lucy asked.

"Uhm no, that's what Igneel called him. I really doubt that Natsu will want to change it. I kind of like it, though.", Gray shrugged.

"Did he come out like this, not fully materialized?", Porlyusica asked as she checked his vitals. To her trained eye he looked to be about five years old.

"He was more solid looking than he is now but still kind of ghostly.", Natsu informed her.

"Damn fool, he's already as reckless as his father.", Porlyusica muttered. She concentrated on Natsu as she thought about the problem at hand. Natsu squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Did you say Spellfire?", Lucy asked.

"Yes, that's what Tiamat called it.", Gray replied, "Do you know what that is?"

"It sounds familiar. I think it was mentioned in one of the books we were researching." Lucy realized suddenly that all the books must have been destroyed in the explosion. She concentrated as hard as she could and tried to remember everything she had read about spellfire. She hoped that Levy remembered more.

"When he came out was he attached to Natsu in any way?", Porlyusica asked Gray.

Gray scratched his head. "No, Natsu started shaking and then he was bleeding out of his nose and mouth and the dragon just flew out of him, I didn't see any attachment."

"Natsu, I want you to try to channel your magic into him. He managed to thrive inside you even though you don't have a womb so you must have been nourishing him a different way. All I can think of is that he must have been feeding off of your magic.", Porlyusica finally said.

"How do I do that exactly?", Natsu asked the healer.

"I have no idea. Call on your magic while touching him, I imagine he might just do it automatically."

Natsu sat down next to his son's unconscious body and grabbed one of Kai's fading hands in his. He called on his fire magic and his hand became covered in flames. He used his other hand to gently run his fingers through Kai's hair.

"Be careful, Natsu. You're going to burn him!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow and said matter of factly. "He's a red dragon, Gray. He's immune to fire."

"Oh, right.", Gray said feeling foolish for ignoring the obvious.

They looked down at Kai's unmoving body and waited for something to happen. Natsu continued to call on his magic but he did not feel any reaction from Kai. He felt a strange weight on his heart. Now that his son had become more than just an idea that he held onto for strength he was terrified of losing him. He peered at Gray and saw the same fear mirrored in his mate's face.

"Try adding your lightning to it, since he's unconscious maybe he needs to feel threatened to respond.", Porlyusica suggested, already wracking her brain for any other idea no matter how implausible. Both of these boys had been through so much loss and heartbreak in their young lives that she would be damned if she added another.

Natsu tensed, adding lightning had the potential to hurt an already weakened Kai. He carefully called upon the barest amount of lightning that he could control and added it to the flame that was already covering their joined hands. Kai flinched.

"Natsu.", Gray said warningly.

"I'm trying.", Natsu replied testily, "I don't exactly know what I'm doing, you know."

That blue flamed outline they had seen earlier began to appear around Kai's body and Natsu felt a tug as his magic began to be drained out of him. He frowned in discomfort but tried to keep the flow of his magic even. He looked down to see if the makeshift magic transfusion was having any effect on Kai's body. He wasn't sure but he thought he might look a little more solid than before. He continued to run his fingers through Kai's hair and Gray took the boy's other hand.

"I think it's working. I can feel him pulling on my magic!", Natsu said with excitement. Gray reached over with his free arm and hugged Natsu over Kai giving him a quick kiss as he let go.

'You're awesome!", Gray beamed happily and Natsu responded with a tired smile.

"Did you remember anything about Spellfire, Lucy?", Gray asked the celestial mage.

"I think so. It's supposed to be a very rare ability. It had something to do with being innately connected to the primordial magic and being able to absorb and reshape other magics back into primordial energy. The additional energy can be used for attacks or healing."

"That sounds like what he did with Tiamat's spell. But then why did he collapse?", Gray asked.

"I don't feel so good.", Natsu said weakly. He felt like he could barely keep himself in an upright position but he could not seem to stop his magic from flowing into Kai.

They all turned to look at him. The flames around Kai's body were glowing a bright blue and his body looked completely normal whereas Natsu's flames were fizzling out. Kai opened his eyes slowly and tried to sit up. He felt warm and strangely full. He felt pressure on his hand and looked to see what was causing it. He startled to see his father sitting next to him. He squeezed his father's hand and smiled brightly, overjoyed to finally be with him.

"Kai! You need to let go of Natsu's magic.", Gray said urgently.

Kai turned to Gray confused. He did not understand what the ice mage was talking about. More warmth was flowing into him and he basked in it, he wanted more. He pulled more warmth into his body until he felt whole. Natsu grunted, eyes rolling to the back of his head. He started to shake.

"KAI! Let go of his hand.", Gray yelled, "You're hurting him!"

Kai looked at their joined hands and marked his father's condition. He let go immediately and the blue flames disappeared. Natsu fell back from his sitting position, his shaking subsiding but his breathing labored. Porlyusica tended to him. She felt guilty for having lost track of the transfer. Once she was satisfied he would be fine she let him rest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!", Kai hid his face in his hands.

"It's ok, I know you didn't mean to.", Gray said softly as he crouched in front of Kai, "You didn't know what you were doing."

Gray gently removed the boy's hands from his face and took them into his own. He took a good look at his son and saw his eyes staring back at him. It excited him to see some of his features mixed in with Natsu's. It made him feel like Kai really belonged to him as well.

"Is he going to be ok?", Kai asked, a worried expression on his face as he looked at Natsu.

"He'll be fine. He's very strong.", Gray assured the little boy, "Do you know who I am?"

Kai nodded. "Yes, you're my mother. I mean Gray." He looked embarassed. "Igneel said you wouldn't like it if called you that."

Gray tried to figure out how in the hell he became the mother in all this when he heard snorts from the ground nearby as Natsu tried unsuccesfully to contain his laughter. He could hear Lucy and Cana snickering as well.

"Shut up, Flame Brain!", Gray said as he kicked Natsu in his side eliciting a further groan as well as as a disapproving glare from Porlyusica. Great, he was never going to live that one down and now the bastard was laughing even harder.

"Where's Igneel?", Kai asked.

Natsu managed to get himself under control and joined them. "Igneel is fighting Acnologia. He wanted to stay with you but I promised him I would protect you in his place. Is that ok?"

Kai nodded happily as he ran over to his father and hugged his legs. Natsu smiled down at him and picked him up so he could return the hug, he patted Kai's back gently as the little boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck. Gray found himself smiling as well. Natsu motioned for him to join them and Gray found himself enveloped in the loving arms of his own family for the first time since he was a child.

"Do you mind if I examine you?", Porlyusica interrupted, smiling and using the gentlest voice anyone had ever heard from the cantankerous healer, "You can sit in your father's lap if you'd like."

She did a basic checkup and then used her magic to examine his magic container. As she feared, even after draining a large amount of Natsu's considerable magic his container was only about a quarter full. If he managed to survive, this boy had the potential to be an amazingly powerful mage but at the moment he was a far cry from being able to survive on his own.

When she was done with her exam Natsu took Kai over to the other mages and introduced him proudly.

Porlyusica called Gray over to her.

"Is something wrong with Kai?", Gray asked as he noticed the serious expression on the healer's face.

Porlyusica looked at him sadly. She knew how much the idea of a family of their own meant to the the two mages. "He's only existed for a month. I don't think he was ready to be born yet, he's still not completely developed. That's why he looked ghostly. He forced himself out to protect Igneel but he used up all his magic in the attack and now he's not getting what he needs from Natsu's body to replenish himself. His magic container is humongous but it's mostly empty. Natsu's transfusion helped but it's not enough. He needs to burn through a lot of energy to sustain his body in the material world. Unless we can come up with a way to constantly feed him energy or get him back inside of Natsu I don't think he's going to survive."


	32. Letting Go

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 31: Letting Go

"There's nothing more I can do for him."

"Can't Natsu just keep giving him his magic?", Gray asked already knowing the answer.

"Even the great Salamander has his limits. It's going to take him some time to replenish the magic he already gave.", Porlyusica answered seriously.

"I could give him some of my magic, he's my son too. It should be compatible.", Gray said.

"The compatibility is not the issue boy, it sounds like he has the ability to transform any magic into something he can use.", Porlyusica replied, "As I already told you the amount of magic Kai needs to sustain his body in this state is too great. You saw how he drained Natsu. A less powerful mage would have died. You've already witnessed his protective instincts. If you were to become weakened as well, he will expend more of his magic to protect the two of you. That is exactly what we are trying to avoid."

She gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder and walked away to go check on her other patients and continue working on the antidote for the Thunder God Tribe and Yajima.

Gray had to admit that the healer had a good point, even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He didn't how much of Porlyusica's prognosis to tell Natsu. He glanced over to where Natsu and Kai had gone and was pleased to see the happy expressions on both their faces as they talked with Lucy and the others. Kai held on to Natsu's hand while the girls fawned all over him.

Gray grinned to himself as he thought. 'Yep, he's going to be a handful.'

'If he lives.' That thought sobered him up quickly.

He and Natsu had bound their souls together, an act so intimate that it had even superseded a physical dragon claiming. They had made a promise to live their lives together as mates. He sure as hell was not going to let that fall apart in the course of one admittedly very long day. He chose to keep the details of Kai's predicament to himself. He was the cold, calculating one in their unlikely union. Ice. He would play his part to keep the fire, that he could no longer live without, from dying out. He plastered a smile on his face and walked over to his family and friends, burdened with his knowledge.

They agreed the infirmary was safe for now and made plans to leave a small team guarding it while the rest of the mages made their way to help fight Tiamat, or Acnologia if it came to that. To everyone's surprise Gray volunteered himself and Natsu to stay. Natsu fought the decision but had to admit to himself that he still felt weak and it was probably the best thing to do for Kai. He told himself he was only agreeing to it because Makarov would skin them alive if they returned Kai to the battle but deep down he already knew that he would do anything to keep him safe. They waved goodbye to their friends and wished them luck. Gray took command and used his Ice Make magic to mark a perimeter they could easily defend. He organized the group of mages that stayed and waited for something to happen. He didn't have long to wait.

A loud crash resounded as Acnologia was hurled to the ground. Igneel pounced on him and declared his victory. He saw Natsu and began to speak.

"I know I owe you some answers.", Igneel began, "We sealed ourselves inside you dragon slayers for two reasons. First, we wanted to keep you from turning into dragons like Acnologia did. While we were inside you we created antibodies that will prevent that from ever happening. The second had to do with Acnologia himself."

There was a rustle underneath Igneel and he was hurled off of the large dragon. Acnologia roared at having been bested temporarily.

"You did that all because of me? I'm touched but once again your efforts will be fruitless. We already know which one of us will be the victor."

They flew at each other, every movement a choreography of fangs, wings, claws and tails as they tried to find any opening or weak spot. They rammed into each other as they tried to dominate the other with sheer power. Kai and Natsu watched as their father figure fought for all of them.

"Acnologia, give this up. What fight do you have with these humans? You were one of them once."

"I care not about them or about dragons, my aim is absolute destruction and I will obliterate whatever stands in my way."

"I can't let you do that. The future belongs to them.", Igneel roared.

"Then you will be the first to go.", Acnologia replied.

Igneel saw an opening and quickly took it. He latched onto one of Acnologia's arms and bit down hard, his sharp fangs slicing through the tough muscles and bone. He shook his head roughly and felt the arm tear apart from the body. He attempted to fly away with his prize, the arm still in his snout but Acnologia lashed out with his claws even as he bellowed in pain. Igneel felt blinding pain in his side and he could no longer stay in the air. He fell to the ground with a thunderous crash. He had taken Acnologia's arm but the Black Dragon had clawed through Igneel's side. The fight was over and the Fire Dragon King had lost.

"IGNEEL!", Natsu and Kai screamed in unison as they saw the mighty dragon fall, half his body gouged out by Acnologia's claws.

"You call yourself the King of Dragons?", Acnologia crowed in victory above him, the loss of his arm forgotten for the moment. "I am the true King of Dragons."

Acnologia took to the air flying wildly away from the other four dragons that were still coming after him. He was having trouble finding his balance due to his missing limb.

Natsu and Kai both ran towards Igneel. Gray followed behind them. He saw Silver approaching from the opposite direction and although he still felt confused in regards to his father he was happy to have him there for support.

"Get up.", Natsu screamed, "You can't die, you hear me! I just found you again." He couldn't stop the tears cascading down his face as he looked at his father. "There's so much I want to tell you. Please!"

"I'm sorry I had to leave, but I never abandoned you. I was there for all of it, Natsu. I was always with you. I saw everything.", Igneel said with growing difficulty, "You always put all of your heart into everything you do. I'm so proud of you, my son. I hope that someday you can forgive me."

"The years we spent as a family where the happiest I can remember. You gave me the ability to love humans. I know it was hard for you to be alone, but now that you have a family of your own you'll never be alone again." The red dragon smiled at Natsu

"You're both idiots by the way, anyone with two eyes could see you were meant for the other.", Igneel teased his son and his mate, "I wholly approve of your choice, Natsu. It took you long enough."

"Gray,", Igneel said seriously, "take good care of them for me."

"Yes, sir. I intend to." Gray said respectfully. He had grown up listening to Natsu regaling him with stories of Igneel's courage and heart. The red dragon certainly did not disappoint. He was glad that he got to meet the mighty Fire Dragon King although his heart ached at the broken sounds that were coming out of his mate. He put his arms around Natsu trying to comfort him as uncontrollable sobs wracked his body.

"Grandfather, don't go.", Kai sobbed disconsolately, "I need you!"

"I appreciate what you did for me Kai, but you're not ready to be out here yet.", Igneel told him sternly, "You know what you have to do."

"NO! I won't go back without you.", Kai said stubbornly.

"If you don't go back you will die." Igneel said sounding weaker.

"You don't have to die. I can heal you!", Kai said his voice getting louder in his excitement, " We can go back together. I have a special magic, I heard them talking about it."

"You will do no such thing, Kai.", Igneel said, "I am too far gone for healing."

"Can you really do it?", Natsu asked, his excitement mirroring Kai's.

"No.", Gray said forcefully, remembering Porlyusica's words, "I forbid it."

"Excuse me?", Natsu turned to look at him eyes ablaze with anger, "I can't help but notice that your father is standing right there. Who the hell are you to deny me mine?"

"Natsu", Gray told his mate seriously, "I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier, Porlyusica said Kai won't survive if he uses any more magic before we can find a way to feed him or get him back inside you. He'll die."

"I'll just feed him more of my magic.", Natsu said stubbornly.

"That will kill both of you, you haven't had a chance to regenerate the magic you already gave him."

"You can't just expect me do nothing if there's a chance to save him!"

"Don't do this, Natsu.", Gray pleaded, "I already almost lost you once. Everyone I love ends up dying. Please don't leave me too."

"That's not fair! You can't just throw that at me every time I'm going to do something you don't like.", Natsu yelled.

"Enough! Natsu, have you already forgotten what will happen to Gray if you die? Listen up, both of you. Death is a natural part of life. I know you're sad but what did I teach you to do when you're sad?"

"You look to the future.", Natsu and Kai recited grudgingly.

"That's right, you look to the future and let that become your will to live. There's no reason to be sad. I will always be with you, watching over you.", Igneel said firmly.

"Who knew dragons could be so sentimental?", Acnologia interceded mockingly, "There will be no future. I will destroy everything on this day."

The mages looked at each other with despair. If Igneel had not been able to defeat the monster there was no hope for them. They were all going to die from either Tiamat, who was still fighting, or Acnologia.

"Zeref, I'm sorry I failed.", Igneel said to the confusion of everyone present, "Remember what I said."

Everything around Kai suddenly stopped and the colors became inverted.

"What's happening?", he asked nervously.

"It's alright, an old friend has come to say goodbye.", Igneel said calmly, "This is just a special magic he uses to keep himself hidden."

"I don't even know why I'm here.", the Black Wizard said gruffly.

Igneel snorted to himself, knowing full well that the Black Wizard had wanted to meet his nephew and was using him as an excuse to do so.

"We were friends once.", Igneel said playing along with Zeref, using the opportunity to get something off his chest, "I always wanted to remain so but I understand why you hated me. I'm sorry, Zeref. There was no other way to bring him back to himself."

Zeref nodded and because he was feeling charitable and the red dragon was dying he said. "Thank you, for taking care of him when I couldn't."

"Zewef?", Kai looked at the pale dark haired man in front of him, not sure what to feel. He remembered the caring older brother that loved Natsu more than anything but he also remembered the terrifying man from his father's later memories. He wasn't sure which one was standing before him now.

Zeref heard that name in that voice, saw the little boy and he felt his tenuous hold on reality snap. He looked at Kai intently and his eyes began tearing.

"Natsu?", the hope in his voice heartbreaking.

He leaned forward to touch his brother's face and smiled. His precious brother was coming back to him at last. Zeref began to feel all the barriers that he placed on his emotions begin to crumble one by one as his happiness could not be contained. He saw the wave of black magic that signalled his curse start to surround him and quickly let go of Natsu. He scrambled back and began to panic.

'Please, no. Just this one time' , he begged to whatever deity would listen promising anything and everything. He couldn't kill Natsu, not when he had just gotten him back. He had to get himself under control but the more he tried the bigger the wave surrounding him became.

"Natsu, get away from me. Run!", Zeref cried in desperation, "I can't control it."

"Zeref! That's not Natsu, it's Kai. It's your nephew. Look at him!", Igneel shrieked in horror.

Igneel tried to call upon any magic that might be left in his body but there was none. His battle with Acnologia had drained him of everything he had left. He screamed at Kai to run away but the boy just stood there hypnotized by the maelstrom of magic that was surrounding his uncle.

Zeref watched with dismay as his curse unfurled itself and lashed out at his little brother.

"NO! PLEASE NO!", he screamed, cursing fate for imposing this new torture on him.

Kai's body immediately surrounded itself in the blue flames of his Spellfire. Zeref's magic approached him like a wall of black fog. His body became engulfed in the darkness until nothing could be seen of him except for the glare of his flames which glowed like a beacon in the night. He reached out his hand fascinated by how the magic swirled around trying to capture him and find a way inside him. He could feel his hand begin to absorb the black magic slowly, almost hesitantly taking it into himself. This process continued for quite a while as the amount of magic that had been directed at him was quite large. He began to feel the same warmth from before spread within him leaving him content.

"H-How? You should be dead.", Zeref looked at him with his mouth open not quite trusting the vision of the boy that his eyes insisted on showing him.

Igneel released the breath he did not even realize he was holding and sighed in relief.

Kai smiled at Zeref sweetly. "It's ok, Uncle Zeref. You can't hurt me."

He walked over to his uncle and gave him a hug. "You've been lonely for a long time, haven't you?", Kai said sadly.

"You're not him, are you?", Zeref looked at him somewhat dejected as he returned his nephew's hug. He was quickly becoming enthralled by this boy that could withstand the effects of his curse and approached him so recklessly. He felt a long forgotten warmth coursing through his body from the boy's touch and he forced himself to let go.

"No, I just look like him. I think he's pretty old now."

Zeref laughed at that.

"Talk to Natsu, Zeref", Igneel said one last time, "Tell him who you really are, give him a chance to know you."

"I'll think about it. I have to go before I get out of control again. It was nice to meet you Kai. I hope we see each other again. Goodbye Igneel, may you have a good journey to the Eyrie."

He walked away his arm raised in a wave, the beginnings of an idea forming in his head.

"Grandfather, should I tell father about Uncle Zeref?", Kai asked.

"No, it's best you let them sort it out themselves.", Igneel said, "He probably wouldn't believe you anyway."

"Why does Uncle Zeref have to hide?", Kai asked, "He seems so sad."

"He angered a god with his efforts to bring your father back from death. The god cursed him with the black magic that you just felt. He is doomed to live forever destroying anything he cares about, so he makes himself care about nothing."

Kai thought about that and it filled him with a horrible sadness for how lonely his uncle's existence must really be. He saw the looks of despair on the mages faces and looked at his parents. He could see the determination on his father's face and Kai knew without a doubt that he had already made up his mind about fighting Acnologia on his own. He looked at the anguish on Gray's face and knew he had come to the same conclusion. His father was weak at the moment, he had given almost all of his magic to Kai. If he went after Acnologia he would surely die. He hoped that Gray could keep his father from doing anything for a few more minutes.

He focused his attention on the only other being that was capable of taking on Acnologia. He couldn't keep his anger from rising as he looked at Tiamat. His mind flooded with the painful images of his creation, of all the things she had done to his father for her own sick pleasure. He readied himself and morphed into his red dragon form. He flew down to Igneel.

"Thank you for everything.", Kai said as he nuzzled his snout on Igneel's and licked the dragon's face , "I love you, Grandfather."

"Kai, what are you going to do?, Igneel asked worriedly.

"I'm going to trust in your words.", Kai smiled through his tears, "Goodbye."

He flew the short distance to the battlefield and got ready to confront the creature that had brought him to life. The colors went back to normal and Kai saw things begin to move again as Zeref released his spell from wherever he was hiding himself. Kai flew at Tiamat and got her attention. All attacks ceased as Sting called a halt. No one wanted to hurt their youngest ally.

"Stop this! Why are you fighting them when you should be fighting Acnologia?", he snarled at Tiamat, "Isn't that what this was all about? Revenge for your precious dragons?"

"Acnologia is not my concern at the moment. I came here to take you and Natsu home.", Tiamat replied haughtily, "I may not have Natsu any longer but you still belong to me. I am your mother."

"I know everything you did to my father.", Kai spat out at her, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I knew Igneel would turn you against me. Is that why you chose this form?"

"Igneel never once spoke ill of you. He's the only reason I'm here.", Kai said evenly, "He said I should not give up on you. Are you going to prove him wrong?"

"Igneel said that?", Tiamat replied with a laugh , "He's a bigger fool than I remember. My only regret is that I didn't kill him myself."

"No, I'm the fool for letting myself believe that he might be right about you.", Kai laughed bitterly, "Last chance to do the right thing. The time of the dragons is over. Help me destroy Acnologia."

"You will come with me.", Tiamat told him, her voice ominous.

"Fine, I will take him on by myself then. Just so we're clear, I will never go with you.", he looked straight at her and held her gaze as he spoke, "You may have helped to make me but you are not my mother. I much prefer the man whose body you copied. Goodbye, Tiamat."

Kai heard her screaming for him as he made his way towards Acnologia. He saw his parents arguing and sighed with relief that they had not yet noticed his absence. He rushed towards his enemy full of confidence, he remembered every lesson Igneel had taught him about fighting dragons.

Gray was getting nowhere trying to talk sense into Natsu who was determined to fight Acnologia in his weakened state. They kept going around in circles. Gray looked up to see where Acnologia and the other dragons were at the moment and saw a small red dragon fly swiftly past them straight towards the Black Dragon.

"NATSU!", Gray screeched, trying to break through his mate's arguments.

"I said I'm fighting him and that's all there is to it.", Natsu stopped as he recognized the panic in Gray's voice. "What is it?"

Gray pointed at the sky and Natsu followed his finger to see Kai in his dragon form charging full speed towards Acnologia.

"What the hell is he doing?", Natsu shrieked as he called on his magic to try to do anything to stop what was about to happen before his eyes. He didn't have much left in his arsenal.

Tiamat fumed as she watched her wayward son speed towards Acnologia. She was furious that he had ignored her wishes. He had dismissed her altogether. She turned her attention to the Fire Dragon Slayer and his mate. The annoying Devil Slayer was there as well. Something bothered her about him. She focused on him and realized what had escaped her attention earlier. A malevolent sneer appeared on her faces as she devised a plan. Let's see what her precious son would do when he had no family left to go back to. She fought to make her way up to the sky and let out lightning breath attacks from all four of her heads. She flew away from her attackers while they scrambled to get out of the way and made her way closer to the target of her spell. She kept herself in the air being careful to stay away from the ongoing dragon fight. She cast her spell on the Devil Slayer and waited.

"Control Undead: Silver Fullbuster"

Tiamat looked at her new minion and smirked, excited by the prospect of the events that were about to unfold.

"Silver, kill Natsu."

Silver stared at her and smirked, "Like hell I would do that."

Tiamat just leered at him. He began to feel strange. He found himself looking at Natsu, his mind began to show him different ways to kill him. He fought the thoughts that were taking over his brain. He panted from the strain of trying to deny her command. He wanted to wipe that smirk off her faces but he was struggling. Sweat began pouring down his brow from the effort. He had not realized how little Keyes had really attempted to control him since he had became a Demon Gate. He heard the other mages getting nearer but they were still too far away to be of help.

"You have no choice but to obey my commands Devil Slayer. Kill him."

Silver grunted as he continued to fight off Tiamat's commands but he was starting to lose what little control he still had. He tried to think of all the things he knew about his son's intended. He actually rather liked him. He felt his hands begin to make his Zeroth Destruction Bow.

'No, damnit. Stop it!' This was serious. If he lost this contest of wills he would lose any right to his son forever. He would never forgive himself. He killed demons not innocent kids.

Kai tried to fly into Acnologia's blind side but the Black Dragon was fast. They began to fly around each other. Kai had a slight advantage, being smaller he was a harder target to hit and he was an agile flyer but Acnologia had a lot more fighting experience. Kai lost track of everything else as he tried to get at any of Acnologia's vulnerable spots. Metalicana tried to coordinate with the other dragons to give Kai a chance to inflict some damage but they were almost out of power. Igneel had been the strongest of them and with him out of the fight it was only a matter of time before they met the same end.

Natsu and Gray had not been paying any attention to Silver. They had been focused on what to do to keep their son from taking on Acnologia and using up all his magic. He was trying to think of what they could do when he felt the strange devil ice and turned to see what Silver was doing. He saw his father aiming an arrow at Natsu and stepped in front of him.

"What are you doing?", Gray asked, his hands already in their molding stance.

"Con--trolled.", Silver managed to pant out, "Y-You have to stop me."

Tiamat cackled as she felt Silver still trying to fight her control. He was strong willed for an undead creature.

"Silver, release your arrow."

"Ice Make Shield"

Gray molded a thick shield in front of him and Natsu but the arrow went right through it like it was nothing. He tried to tackle Natsu to the ground but was too late. Silver's arrow had already been deflected by a flame sword.

"Just what is going on here?"

xxx

A/N I just wanted to give a heads up that we are nearing the end of this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you very much to EclipsingParadise, ClumsyKat and SilverWhiteDragon for your reviews.

Control Undead (Lvl 7) - This spell enables you to command undead creatures for a short period of time. You command them by voice and they understand you, no matter what language you speak. Even if vocal communication is impossible the controlled undead do not attack you. At the end of the spell, the subjects revert to their normal behavior.

Intelligent undead creatures remember that you controlled them.


	33. Love Makes You Strong

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 32: Love Makes You Strong

"What the hell are you playing at Silver?", Natsu growled. He had been busy watching Kai and had not been aware of what was happening until he heard the arrow hit Erza's sword.

Erza Scarlet stood in front of Natsu in her Flame Empress Armor. She held her Flame Sword firmly in her right hand pointing it at Silver. She was mildly surprised by his resemblance to Gray but dismissed the thought. It didn't matter who he looked like, he was clearly a threat. Her body was riddled with wounds and her breathing was strained but it did nothing to deter the fierceness of her expression.

Erza was here and she looked pissed. Gray had never been so happy to see his friend.

"We'll explain later. Here's the short version.", Gray pointed at Silver, "That guy is being controlled by Tiamat. She wants him to kill Natsu. Natsu and I need to stop that little red dragon from using his magic or getting killed by Acnologia. We also need to find a way to stop Acnologia and Tiamat."

"Is that all?", Erza said her voice laden with sarcasm. She looked at Natsu and noticed that he looked haggard, "Well then, Gray can you keep him occupied while I tend to Natsu?"

Gray nodded at her and turned to face his father again. He prepared himself to fight.

"Ice Make: Cold Excalibur"

"Come on Dad, snap out of it! Don't make me use this."

"Get out of the way Gray.", Silver said calmly, "I have to kill Natsu."

There was a hidden edge to his voice that worried Gray. He didn't think Silver was fighting off the spell any longer. He asked himself how far he was willing to go to protect Natsu and immediately knew that he would go as far as was needed.

"No. I will not let you hurt him. I can't live without him.", Gray eyed his father tensely, "I already know I can live without you."

Gray moved closer to his father. He consoled himself with the knowledge that if it came down to it his father would likely be grateful for an end to his current existence. He still felt conflicted as he had grown to like the man. He'd hoped that they could get to know each other again after this conflict was over.

Erza used her armor's abilities to produce as much fire as she was capable of and moved it to her blade. She pointed her sword at Natsu and shot the flames directly at him. Natsu smiled as he ingested all of the fire.

"Thanks Erza. I'm all fired up now!", Natsu gave her his widest grin. The fire she had produced for him had replenished some of his magic and he felt much better. He turned his attention to his foolhardy son who was still flying around evading Acnologia's attacks. He admired the precision with which Kai flew. It was so graceful that it was almost beautiful. Outside of being in his dragon form he did not seem to be using any additional magic. He watched Acnologia try to close in on the red dragon as Metalicana and the others attacked the black dragon all at once forcing him to change his trajectory. He snapped out of his reverie and propulsed himself into the air.

"Fire Dragon Claw"

Kai noticed his father and immediately flew underneath him to let him ride on his back.

"What are you doing? You don't have enough magic for this, you'll die!", Kai yelled at his father.

"I could say the same about you.", Natsu replied.

"If I die it's not a big deal. I was never meant to exist in the first place.", Kai replied, glad that his father was not able to see his face, "I'm a creature born of pain and hate."

It was a feeling he had been fighting with ever since he had seen his father be raped by Tiamat disguised in Gray's body. The only reason he existed was because Tiamat had wanted to humiliate his father, to trap him into being with her so that she could lord it over Igneel, the dragon she had once loved. It was a messed up situation.

Igneel had brought him to the light and taught him everything he knew. He'd showed him who his father was and Kai had already basked in the great love and sacrifice that the dragon slayer was capable of, even if he didn't feel he deserved it. He wanted so much to claim that love for himself but there was also Tiamat. As much as he despised her he couldn't help but wonder what part of him she lay claim to. Would he have a darkness that was her contribution to the genetic muddle that had created him? Gray was probably the hardest of his parents to understand. Even though his body had been used he had not physically participated in Kai's creation but he selflessly insisted in laying claim to him all the same and Kai felt an immediate connection to him.

Natsu looked at Kai and was amused to hear him sounding so much like Gray already. Who knew gloominess was genetic, Natsu had thought it had taken Gray years to work himself to such levels.

"You're wrong about that, kid. It is very much a big deal. I'm not sure how you know anything about what happened but let me make one thing clear. It doesn't matter to me how you came to be. Gray and I both love you. Now, we're going to get out of this somehow but we need to find another way. I'll make you a deal. If you stop this nonsense, I'll back off too. Leave this to the other dragons."

"They're too weak. They won't be able to finish him. They can barely keep him off of us now.", Kai said, sad in the knowledge that the dragon's deaths were inevitable, "The only ones capable of taking him on now that Igneel is gone are Tiamat and maybe myself. I asked her for help but she refused, she just wanted me to go with her."

Natsu recognized the truth in Kai's words when he looked at the other dragons and saw that not only had their movements become sluggish but their faces had an air of defeat that was unmistakable. He looked down at Gray fighting to protect him from Silver and back at Acnologia's merciless attacks on his fellow Dragon Slayer's dying dragons and made the most difficult decision of his life.

He lamented that he and Gray had never had a chance. Ever since Tiamat had shown up their fate had been cast. He would have liked someday to replace the memory of his rape with the love of his mate but it was never meant to be. He would set him free if he could and he wished that someday Gray would find happiness again. He hoped that Gray would find it in his heart to forgive him.

"Kai, did Igneel ever say anything about Soul Bonds?", Natsu asked urgently.

Kai nodded, already not liking where this conversation was going but not being able to lie to his father.

"Is there a way to break it?"

"Yes.", Kai said sadly, his heart breaking for his parents.

Erza had had just about enough of this day. She had been drugged, captured, tortured and forced to battle extensively with a powerful demon who had caused her to feel more pain than she had ever experienced. It took a lot out of her to finally beat Kyoka into submission. Now she found that although it seemed like all the demons had been defeated they still had two dragons to fight, one of which was purposefully trying to kill one of her best friends. She could see that there were other things going on that she did not understand but that was ok. She was hurt, she was tired and she had to make the best use of the magic she had left. She focused her rage on Tiamat, the one who had started this mess when she'd had the nerve to pretend to be Erza. She requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and flew over to where the Dragon Goddess was controlling Silver.

"Dance My Blades"

Erza's blades positioned themselves in a circle around her and began to spin rapidly. She let the momentum build to increase the force of their impact.

Tiamat narrowed her eyes at Erza and cast her own spell with a scowl. She was beyond tired of fighting these damn mages. She used another one of her heads to cast a defensive spell.

"Globe of Invulnerability"

Tiamat focused on both her spells and she soon found herself inside a glowing sphere of soft warm light . She grinned at Erza from within the safety of her globe daring the requip mage to attack her.

"Circle Sword"

Erza unleashed her swords and watched them soar towards her target. They flew straight and true finding no resistance in whatever spell Tiamat had cast to defend herself. She allowed herself a smirk of satisfaction at the unadulterated surprise on Tiamat's face as the blades attacked her hardened body. Several of the swords pierced her and she began to bleed.

"Stop this now. Release your hold on that man.", Erza demanded.

"No. I will kill the fire brat and his ice mate. My son will have no choice but to come with me if he wants to live."

"You're pathetic, you can't force someone to love you, you have to earn their love."

"I may have craved his love once but now I only care about his power. You humans place too much value on the abstract notion that is love. It is your biggest weakness."

"You're wrong. Love does not make you weak, it feeds you strength when you think you have none. It gives you a reason to live that is much bigger than yourself. Look at him,", Erza pointed at Kai who had Natsu on his back, "he gives his all even though he can't possibly win just so he can protect others, that is love. If you want your son to love you then show him you are worthy of it. There's still time."

"I will not be so foolish.", Tiamat said stubbornly, "Now, shall we finish this? I can see I misjudged your power."

At her words Erza realized that she would need to risk everything on one big attack. She had just enough strength to requip into her Nakagami armor, with any luck she would be able to break Tiamat's spell on the man that was compelled to kill Natsu and her halberd would cause some serious damage to Tiamat that would weaken her further. Erza hoped her plan worked because she would be seriously low on magic after this. She focused on the head that she knew to be casting the spell that was controlling Silver and began to attempt to dispel it. She grabbed her halberd and aimed at one of the spots on the dragon's body that was already bleeding. Tiamat attempted to dodge the weapon but her injuries slowed her down. She howled in pain as she felt the weapon impale itself inside her. Her active spells were soon forgotten as she focused on her injuries. She fell to the ground.

"That's pretty harsh kid. If you won't get out of the way, I'll have to make you.", Silver said coldly.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Longsword"

Out of Silver's palm there rose a long sword which he quickly swung at his son. Gray parried with his own blade. Their swords clashed and Gray push kicked Silver away from him. Silver came at him and Gray watched his shoulders trying to figure out where the next attack was going to be coming from. It came from the right and Gray managed to step out of the way. He kicked his father's legs out from under him. Silver was now on the ground and Gray placed his sword at his neck. Silver smiled and grabbed Cold Excalibur. He bit a large chunk out of it and began chewing noisily.

"I'm a Slayer Gray, I eat my element.", Silver smiled. He stood up calmly and attacked again. This time Gray screamed in pain as the longsword slashed across his front. Before he had any chance to react he found himself encased in the same ice that had been in the Sun Village. He desperately worked at breaking it, he couldn't allow Silver any time to get at Natsu.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow"

Silver drew the bow and aimed at Natsu's back. He let go and watched as the arrow flew towards its target.

Natsu made no noise when the arrow pierced his body exploding into millions of ice shards inside him or even when he fell off of Kai, his body turning in mid air showing the ground rushing at him as he hurtled down to meet it. Kai, however was screaming loud enough for both of them. Natsu felt cold, not the comforting kind that Gray had but a lifeless cold that was full of despair.

"FATHER!", Kai flew desperately trying to catch his father before his body could impact but he wasn't fast enough. He saw his father's broken body lying on the ground and he looked for the man responsible. They had moved away from the main fight temporarily. They had been so engrossed in their discussion that they had forgotten to keep track of Silver. He saw Gray frozen in ice as well and turned towards the Ice Devil Slayer in fury.

Natsu wanted to ask Kai to stop his yelling because it was already bad enough that he felt like throwing up from the unexpected drop but no words were coming out. It felt like there were shards of glass inside of him freezing his organs, so cold that they burned. He tried to warm himself by calling on his magic but it was no use doing anything. He thought this must be what being in shock felt like.

"YOU BASTARD!", Kai advanced towards Silver who only laughed, although Kai thought he also saw tears on his face.

"Fire Dragon Roar"

Kai let his magic flow into him and he aimed his hottest flames at the man who had taken his parents away from him. His roar was stronger than even Igneel's and he made sure to make every lick count. He was screaming at the sky in broken sobs as the red dragon turned back into a small boy.

Silver had no plans to defend himself from the attack. He deserved to die and it seemed fitting for his end to come from the child he had just orphaned. He didn't really understand how the sobbing child came to be or how Gray was his parent but it didn't really matter. He had loved him all the same. He could no longer feel Tiamat's control over him and he cursed his luck, wishing that it could have stopped just a minute earlier. He felt the flames engulf him and endured the pain that wracked his body as he hoped for the end. He saw Gray break his ice and was glad to see him.

"Kai, stop it! I'm okay. Don't use any more of your magic.", Gray froze his wound and ran to his son while sparing a look back at his father. He picked Kai up in his arms and let him hold on to his neck and wrap his legs around him as he continued to sob out the hurt of losing Igneel and now maybe his father as well. Gray placed one arm underneath the boy's bottom for support and used his other hand to rub circles on Kai's back. He made his way to Natsu not wanting to believe what was right in front of his eyes. He put Kai down and kissed the top of his head gently. He tried to carefully melt the ice that was inside Natsu. He had to make sure that the ice did not break into any more shards than were already present from the fall. They could cause additional internal injuries. Natsu was frigid to the touch, his usual super human warmth nowhere to be found.

"WENDY"

Wendy Marvell heard the wail that came with the screaming of her name and she tried to run even faster towards her friends causing her clumsiness to kick in. She tripped on her own feet and she would have fallen but for the arms that caught her. She looked up to see Romeo setting her upright and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Carla took pity on her and grabbed her quickly flying her to Gray.

One by one the dragons fell from the sky. Their dragon slayers rushed to try to talk to them one last time. Wendy looked at Gray pleadingly and he nodded in understanding. "Just go. You may never get the chance again. Natsu would understand"

He continued doing his best to melt the ice even though there was no response from Natsu. He heard someone approaching and saw Sherria Blendy running towards them.

"Keep doing what you're doing and I'll start healing what I can.", Sherria told him. She stretched her arms and began identifying Natsu's injuries so that she could begin healing.

"Thank you so much.", Gray said keeping himself busy so that he didn't have a chance to worry.

"Are there any fire mages nearby?", Sherria said urgently.

"I use fire magic.", Kai said in between sniffles.

"Ok, when I tell you I want you to surround him in fire, but not too hot. Think of it as lighting the wick of a candle. Understand?"

Kai nodded. He glanced at the dragons who were now disappearing after saying their goodbyes to their slayers and he wished that he had gotten a chance to thank them for their sacrifice. They had tried to do the impossible and now all the dragons were truly gone from this world. All that was left was an insane human that had turned into a dragon in his lust for power, a cold Dragon goddess who was also only interested in power and then there was him, he wasn't even sure what he was. Quite the poor showing. He watched Gray and Sherria work on his father and Wendy hurrying towards them. He grabbed one of his father's hands and held it in his and waited for Sherria's signal.

Tiamat took stock of herself. She had already been weakened when Erza Scarlet got there and somehow the redhead had been very effective against her. She would not be able to fight for much longer. She needed to teleport out of here soon. That was the logical decision to make. Get the hell out of this nightmare and fight another day. It was safe to say that this had not gone as she had expected. She had been cocky at the beginning and wasted too much power.

The dragons were truly gone. Igneel, the dragon who should have been her mate, was dead. Despite what she had told her son, she felt no satisfaction, just a dull ache she did not understand. It had started right after Kai had told her that the red dragon had never given up on her. She found herself humming the old lullaby that had come to her mind that morning and stopped when she noticed Erza looking at her strangely.

"Aren't you going to finish me off?"

"I don't enjoy killing, I have subdued you. That is good enough for now.", Erza replied, "What was that you were humming just now?"

"Just an old Dragon Lullaby.", Tiamat said, confused by the conversation. Erza should have tried to kill her when she had the chance but instead she was asking her about lullabies. Humans were strange creatures. She remembered Cobra and smiled. He had given her his magic so that she would defeat Acnologia and yet she had not even tried to fight him since their first encounter. Why was that? Her excuse of wanting to take Natsu and Kai home sounded hollow even to her. Was she just afraid that she would lose? Did it matter? What did she have left to be Queen of?

She was a Queen with only one subject and she had managed to fail him as well. She looked at her son who was currently holding on to his father, the ailing Dragon Slayer that she'd tried to have killed in a fit of jealousy. She saw his anguish and she wished that he could care for her even if just a little. She watched him cover the Dragon Slayer in his flames and after kissing him on the cheek, he talked to Gray who looked unhappy. After a brief hug Kai walked away and called out to the other Dragon Slayers. She continued watching letting herself feel for the first time in four hundred years. Maybe the redhead was right. Maybe she could still be worthy of him.

Now that the dragons had fallen Acnologia seemed to be considering Tiamat. Kai took the opportunity to call the dragon slayers and Exceeds to him.

"Look, we're all that's left. If we work together, we might be able to take him out.", Kai told the three male Dragon Slayers. His father would not be able to join them this time and neither would Wendy, she was busy healing Natsu. Kai only hoped they could help him. If his father died he and Gray would as well, although it would take Gray a bit longer.

"Igneel wanted me to train you to fight dragons properly.", Kai continued, glaring at them when he saw them snickering at him, "there isn't any time for that now so just listen."

"Spells will not work on him, he is immune to most magic and his hide is very tough. Exceeds, you will need to fly your slayers as we will need to stay airborne. Rogue, you can ride me. His eyes are in the front so he has to turn his body to look at any other direction. Rogue and I will use that to our advantage and come at him straight on. When he engages us, Gajeel and Sting you are going to attack him from behind. Hit him hard. Aim for his weak spots, any joint or connective tissue, he lost an arm so he will be favoring that side. If you pierce anything keep hitting there until you can carve a bigger hole. Gajeel that should be your goal, you have the best chance of penetrating his hide. I am going to try to shove Spellfire inside his mouth when he attempts to roar. If he turns to attack you, Rogue and I will attack from behind. I need an Exceed standing by in case I get into trouble and Rogue needs help. Any questions?", Kai looked at the Slayers and Exceeds and waited.

Gajeel couldn't get a handle on this kid. It was like he was two different creatures. When he was around the Salamander and the Ice Princess he acted like a small child but right now he had sounded like a general addressing his troops and he had that rare Spellfire magic. Gajeel found himself ready to follow him into battle without question. It was creepy but Gajeel had to admit Kai was kind of a badass plus he could turn into a dragon without being a major dick like Acnologia. He saw Sting and Rogue giving the kid similar puzzled looks and grinned.

"Alright, let's go."

Kai morphed into a Dragon and waited for Rogue to climb on. He took off quickly towards Acnologia who was closing in on Tiamat, his mouth already opening for his breath attack. Kai sped up and flew right at the Black Dragon's chest with the intention to ram him away from Tiamat. Acnologia saw a blur of red out of the corner of his eye and quickly moved away recognizing a threat.

"You are persistent, little dragon. Haven't you given up yet?", Acnologia mocked him.

Kai saw Gajeel and Sting getting in position behind Acnologia so he said, "I will only give up when one of us is dead."

He called on his blue flames and waited for Acnologia to open his mouth signaling an attempt to use his breath attack on him. His patience was soon rewarded. He quickly aimed as much magic as he dared at the dragon's mouth and saw some of it go in. Acnologia yowled in pain. Kai had not caused a lot of damage but he had caused some and that gave him hope. He needed to keep track of his magic usage so that he did not break the promise he had made to Gray. Gajeel used his Iron Dragon Sword to hack at Acnologia's wings. Acnologia turned to face his attackers and then realized his mistake as he felt attacks coming from behind him again.

Sting used his Holy Light to try to blind the dragon so that Kai could bite at the spot Gajeel had attacked. If they could ground him they would have an advantage as some of the other mages could join the fight.

Tiamat watched the fight above her with interest. She began to think of what she could do if she wanted to help given the limited magic she now had left to her. Her spirits sunk as she realized that without some sort of power boost she would not be able to do anything. She knew she would not be able to take Acnologia in a battle in her current state, but there was one thing she could do if she had enough magic. Once she had gotten the idea into her head she found that she really wanted to do it, it had a sense of poetic justice to it and she would be able to make amends to all the dragons she had failed.

"Erza,", Tiamat called out, " I have an idea that I think might work."

She told Erza her plan but the requip mage looked skeptical. "You are asking for a lot of trust considering the things you have done."

"Do you have a better idea?"

Erza had to admit that she did not. Everyone was exhausted, they had been fighting for a very long time. The dragon slayers were the only ones still fighting and that was only thanks to Levy's magic but even she was out now.

"I will go speak to the Master.", Erza said. She left Tiamat and looked for their Master finding him near Natsu. He had not yet woken but his body temperature was holding. Wendy and Sherria were taking a break, they were exhausted as well. Gray was holding Natsu's hand but his gaze was glued to Kai, who was fighting Acnologia. Gray had been in this position ever since Natsu had been captured and Erza felt for him. It wasn't easy to be the one left behind, especially when the ones leaving were so reckless.

She told the Master Tiamat's plan and he turned it over in his head looking for flaws or subterfuge. He could find none but even if there was he didn't see how they had any other choice but to trust her. If she could deal with Acnologia they had to try, there was no other plan. One look at the dragon slayers and it was obvious that they were fizzling out.

"Happy go fetch Rogue, I need to talk to him."

"Aye, Master sir!", Happy answered. He looked down at Natsu, afraid to leave his side but aware of his responsibility as a Fairy Tail wizard. He gulped and flew off towards Acnologia.

"Rogue, you need to come with me. Master Makarov wants to talk to you.", Happy yelled. He got as close to the fight as he dared and waited for the Shadow Dragon Slayer to acknowledge him.

"I can't leave right now.", he said while dodging Acnologia's claws.

"Just jump and I'll catch you!", Happy yelled.

Rogue jumped off of Kai and fell until Happy caught him and flew away from the battle.

"What does your Master want with me?", Rogue asked curiously.

"He'll tell you himself.", Happy said as he flew towards where he had left Natsu. They arrived quickly and Rogue faced Makarov.

"Rogue, I have something to ask of you. I can't force you to do it but I would like you to consider it. Tiamat has come up with a plan that we believe can take care of Acnologia once and for all but she doesn't have enough power to have a chance at succeeding.I need you to give her the last element required to regain her missing dragon magic."

"Are you out of your mind? We just spent all that time and effort to keep my magic away from her.", Rogue said angrily.

"I know. I don't know if we can trust her either but it's the only plan we have at the moment."

"I would like to hear what this plan is before I make a decision."

Makarov told him the plan and Rogue had to admit it could work. In his opinion it was worth the risk that she might betray them. Sting would kill him for doing it but it was the right thing to do. If they did not take care of Acnologia now there would be nothing left.

"What do I need to do?", Rogue desperately hoped he was making the right choice.

xxx

A/N I had every intention of finishing the story in this chapter but I found I had already reached 5K words and a lot of things still needed to happen. After all the work I have put into this story I really didn't want to hurry the ending. So I hope you're not too upset that there will be another chapter. EclipsingParadise, SilverWhiteDragon and ClumsyKat thank you once again for being awesome. I could not continue to do this without your encouragement.

Globe of Invulnerability (Lvl 6) - An immobile, faintly shimmering magical sphere surrounds you and excludes all spell effects of 4th level or lower. The area or effect of any such spells does not include the area of the lesser globe of invulnerability. Such spells fail to affect any target located within the globe. Excluded effects include spell-like abilities and spells or spell-like effects from items. However, any type of spell can be cast through or out of the magical globe. Spells of 4th level and higher are not affected by the globe, nor are spells already in effect when the globe is cast. The globe can be brought down by a targeted dispel magic spell, but not by an area dispel magic. You can leave and return to the globe without penalty.


	34. Stronger Together

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Chapter 33: Stronger Together

Silver looked down at his body in horror. He had thought that after the infernal heat he had experienced from Kai's attack he would have disintegrated to ash or at the very least died. It would have been nice to put an end to the seventeen years of hell he had endured since Keyes singled him out for his experiments. Instead his entire body was charred and he was in excruciating pain. He laughed bitterly at his cursed luck. It seemed his life was linked to Keyes. He would not be able to die unless the necromancer willed it or died himself, which meant that the demon bastard was alive somewhere. At some point the little Dragon Slayer girl had come to tend to him but he had refused her help knowing full well he did not deserve it.

"It wasn't your fault.", Wendy told him softly in her kind voice as she looked at him sadly. She had heard about what had happened from the others and she knew that Gray's father had fought as hard as he could. She walked away and headed back towards Natsu.

He really wanted to believe that but he knew deep down that it was his fault. He had not wanted to hurt Natsu, he'd tried to fight the compulsion off as best he could but he had not been strong enough to fight off Tiamat and in short order he had destroyed his family. He looked over at his son who was huddled over his unconscious mate, a broken expression on his face as he looked up to the sky at his son who was fighting that blasted dragon. There was nothing he could do for them at the moment and he sincerely doubted Gray wanted anything to do with him anyway, not that Silver could blame him.

"Do you really think that denying yourself medical treatment is going to change anything?", an arrogant sounding voice interrupted his thoughts. Silver opened his eyes to see Lyon standing above him. The ice mage covered the Devil Slayer's charred body in a thin layer of ice.

"I thought you were smarter than that.", Lyon continued then he snorted, "Then again you are Gray's father."

"What do you want Lyon?", Silver asked tiredly, "I'm not in the mood for games right now."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over what happened. He'll forgive you, you know. That idiot is incapable of holding a grudge, even when he should.", Lyon said as he sat down next to Silver, "For years I blamed him for so many things and when he got in my way I tried to kill him. You know what that dumb bastard did?"

"He saved me.", Lyon continued without waiting for Silver's response, "So trust me when I tell you, it might not happen today but Gray will forgive you. As for the fire bastard, he'll pull through. I'm the one who found him back when Tiamat had him. I never thought he would survive his injuries, our healer didn't either, but he did. He's a fighter. He'll forgive you too, right after he gets a chance to kick your ass."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the two of them being together.", Lyon chuckled.

"Because they're both men?", Silver asked curiously.

"No, I don't care about that.", Lyon said honestly, "It's because they're them."

Silver let himself find hope in Lyon's words and vowed that if they all got out of this in one piece he would redeem himself in their eyes and earn their forgiveness. He would teach his son his devil slaying magic and make him strong enough that he would never again look that broken. He prayed to whoever would listen for the Dragon Slayer to be alright so Gray's family could be whole again. As for Kai, he had no idea what to do about him. The pain he had see in his grandson's eyes was not something that could be easily forgotten.

Natsu opened his eyes slowly. He was still in a lot of pain but the burning ice was gone. He felt a cold hand in his and he squeezed it gently, happy to feel his mate next to him. He had truly thought he was a goner this time.

"Gray?", Natsu called out to his mate.

"Natsu! I thought I was going to lose you.", Gray said with relief as he quickly let go of Natsu's hand and pulled him into his arms.

"Ow, watch it!", Natsu said grumpily but his tired grin betrayed him, "You can't get rid of me that easily. I told you earlier Ice Block, we're practically indestructible."

"My heart would really appreciate it if you stopped trying to prove that theory.", Gray said gruffly as Natsu felt a warm liquid land on his neck.

"Hey, what's going on? I'm fine.", Natsu became flustered, not used to seeing Gray cry, "See? Never better."

Natsu patted Gray's back awkwardly trying to comfort him. Gray gave a wry laugh as he wiped his eyes quickly. They separated and Natsu looked at his mate worriedly. He felt terrible that he had caused him to cry and before he knew what he was doing he brought his hand up to Gray's cheek and wiped one of his tears away with his thumb. He quickly kissed the spot where the tear had been, his cheeks reddening at his actions. He took Gray's hand in his sensing that the ice mage needed to be touched by him at the moment.

"I'm sorry, I think I've just reached my limit on how much stress I can take in one day."

"No, I'm sorry. I've been leaving you behind to worry about me all this time. That's not fair.", Natsu said seriously as he felt the depth of Gray's emotions flooding through him.

"We've been going about this all wrong.", Natsu continued, "Being mates is not about me protecting you or you protecting me. It's about the two of us being stronger together."

"Stronger together, I like the sound of that.", Gray said. He leaned in and gave Natsu a chaste kiss just wanting to reassure himself that the fire mage was really there. Natsu responded and when he felt Gray finally relax he pulled away and began asking questions.

"What did I miss?", Natsu asked, "Where's Kai? The last thing I remember was him screaming."

"Yeah, he was pretty upset when you fell.", Gray said glossing over some of the events for the moment. He hoped there would be time to discuss everything later, "He helped Sherria heal you. He's fighting Acnologia with Sting and Gajeel."

"I made him promise to watch his magic usage.",he quickly added before Natsu had a chance to protest.

Natsu sighed, "He told me earlier that outside of Tiamat he was the only one left who could give him any opposition. Why isn't Rogue fighting with them, is he hurt?"

"He's fine. He just left to give Tiamat his magic. She came up with a plan to deal with Acnologia once and for all but she needed a power boost after the beatdown Erza gave her on top of all her other injuries."

"WHAT? How can you guys consider trusting her after everything she's done?"

"It wasn't my call to make", Gray shrugged, "Gramps doesn't think we have any other choice. Everyone's pretty much tapped out at this point."

Rogue had not returned to the fight after he had left to speak to Makarov and Sting could not stop worrying. He was already tired and his attacks were getting sloppy, but he couldn't afford to get distracted too. Acnologia was a fierce fighter and he could capitalize on any perceived weakness in an instant.

"Get your damn head in the game, asshole. You're going to get us both killed.", Gajeel growled at the Sabertooth Master as he had to tackle him out of the way of Acnologia's swinging tail causing an already tired Lector to drop him and hastily catch him.

Sting's heart beat rapidly from the adrenaline rush caused by the fall.

"Sorry.", he muttered. He tried to put all thoughts of Rogue to the back of his mind and focused on fighting with Gajeel and Kai against the Black Dragon.

Tiamat watched the Shadow Dragon Slayer make his way towards her slowly. His body language screamed that he did not want to be doing this. He stood in front of her and scowled.

"I've agreed to do this but you better not double cross us. I'll make sure you're sorry if you do.", Rogue looked at her with disgust, "What do I have to do?"

Tiamat was instantly annoyed by his attitude but held her tongue. She needed this man to be able to put her plan in motion.

"You can concentrate all of your magic into one breath attack for me to absorb or I can grant you your fondest wish."

She shifted herself into a perfect replica of Sting and said in his voice. "Which will it be?"

Rogue glared at her and said stiffly, "Breath attack will be just fine."

Tiamat shrugged and shifted back, "Your loss, but between you and me Sting really enjoyed the other way and so did I."

She gave him a salacious grin as she winked at him . Rogue growled at her but made himself stay where he was. He would not rise to her bait. He began drawing on his magic power. He wanted to get this over with so he could get out of her presence. He still could not believe that they were putting their trust in this sadistic creature. When he had collected all of his remaining magic he stared at her to make sure she was ready. She nodded at him and waited.

"Shadow Dragon Roar"

Sting heard his fellow dragon slayer cast his attack spell and saw the breath attack materialize. 'Shit! Makarov must have sent him to fight Tiamat. What is he thinking? That's just going to make her stronger.'

Sting focused on Rogue and he once again forgot to keep track of his enemy. This time Gajeel was not close enough to help him.

He was supposed to be the frontal attack while Gajeel and Kai attacked from behind. He saw Acnologia's snout approaching almost as if in slow motion and could do nothing but stare with growing dread at the fangs that were getting ready to impale his flesh.

He felt himself get rammed in the chest and he was falling again with Lector struggling to grab him before he crashed to the ground like Natsu before him. Sting was so tired he didn't even care if he fell. He wasn't sure what had just happened but he heard a horrible blood curdling scream followed by a triumphant roar. Lector managed to catch him and placed him gently on the ground before collapsing from exhaustion.

"KAI!", Gajeel yelled, "You dumbass, what the hell were you thinking?"

He didn't know what to do in this situation and he was growing concerned at the amount of blood that was flowing from the small dragon's body. He could hear the whines coming from Kai as Acnologia continued to ravage him. Lily was getting tired and would not be able to hold him up for much longer. He tried to get Acnologia to drop the small dragon by inserting his vibrating Iron Dragon Sword in the hole he and Kai had managed to carve in the dragon's hide a few minutes earlier but the Black Dragon held on stubbornly, flying around to evade Gajeel's sword.

Sting blanched as he quickly figured out what had happened when he looked up at Acnologia and saw something red in his mouth. The Black Dragon was shaking his head from side to side and Sting felt sick just watching. Kai had sacrificed himself to save him. Rogue ran towards him, concern etched on his face.

"What happened?", Rogue asked but Sting would not respond. The White Dragon Slayer was drowning in guilt and he could only bury his face in his hands and rock back and forth saying the words "I'm sorry" over and over. Rogue looked at him with concern but after several failed attempts at communication he decided to leave Sting with Lector and head towards Natsu.

Kai had seen Acnologia head towards Sting and without giving any real thought to his actions he flew at the Dragon Slayer and rammed him out of the way of the dragon's snout only to find himself trapped inside it instead. He screamed in agony and terror as he felt the sharp teeth tear through his flesh. He tried to wriggle himself out of there but only managed to wedge himself in deeper. He could feel the blood draining from his body and the smell of it mixed in with the dragon's pungent breath made him want to vomit. He didn't know what to do and the pain was overwhelming especially when Acnologia shook his head back and forth tearing deeper wounds in his body. He'd failed and the disappointment he felt was strong, even though he knew from the beginning that it was unlikely that he would have succeeded where Igneel had failed he'd hoped to do…….better than this. He fought the tears that wanted to come, not wanting to show weakness in front of Gajeel, who was still fighting. He'd have to use a lot of magic to get out of this and that was another disappointment for he would have to break his promise to his dad. He thought sadly that now he would never get to call Gray that. His life had been short but it had been filled with love from Igneel, Natsu and Gray. He would miss them but his sacrifice might keep his family safe. This time he did let the tears fall as he covered his body in blue flames preparing himself for one last ditch attack.

Natsu and Gray were engaged in a heated argument over the best course of action to take to help Kai when they were suddenly interrupted by an agitated voice.

"What the hell are you standing there for? Let's go get our boy back.", came the unexpected command from Tiamat. They turned to find the Dragon Goddess behind them. Impatience and another emotion they couldn't define warring on her features.

Natsu nodded curtly and Gray hesitantly followed his lead. They might not trust her but if there was one thing they knew it was that she wanted Kai alive. They could deal with the fallout of what she was planning to do with him after they had rescued him. She seemed satisfied with that and began to speak.

"Acnologia's time is over, I will make sure of it. If revenge is the only thing left for me then I will take it. I can't hold him off for long in my current condition but I'm going to get Kai away from him. When I do, you'll need to take him away from there as quickly as possible. Get him help, he can still be saved if he has enough magic to cast Dragon Soul. That will place him back inside Natsu where he can heal and grow until he is ready to be born."

"Wait, if you can only hold him off for a short time how are you going to deal with him?", Natsu asked.

"I have a plan."

"Does he even know how to cast Dragon Soul, cause I sure as hell don't."

"Of course you don't, you're not a dragon. I'm sure Igneel taught it to him. It's the same spell that he used to stow away inside you.", Tiamat replied impatiently

"Why are you doing this?", Gray asked with distrust. His mind was full of all the things that she had done to his loved ones.

"We're wasting time. Let's just say that I would like Kai to know that I did something right when it counted." Her faces were unreadable as she said this and Gray left it alone. She was right after all, they did not have a lot of time if they wanted to rescue him.

"Make sure to stay out of my way until you're needed."

With those words she took off and flew towards Acnologia.

"Happy!", Natsu yelled urgently. Happy quickly flew towards his dragon slayer.

"How am I supposed to get up there? Happy can't carry both of us.", Gray asked in frustration.

"Carla, maybe?"

Frosch looked at Happy and then at Rogue with a serious expression. "Frosch wants to help too.", he said as he pointed at Gray.

Rogue nodded his approval and with a worried but proud smile added, "Be careful."

Happy grabbed Natsu and took to the air quickly followed by Frosch carrying Gray. They stayed back waiting for an opportunity to grab Kai as Tiamat grappled with the dragon. Acnologia bit down harder on Kai not wanting to let go of him.

Natsu had a hard time containing himself when he saw Kai's body stuck in Acnologia's maw. The smell of his blood was overwhelming Natsu's senses and he couldn't stop a wail from escaping his throat. He saw Kai's body begin to fade and he saw the telltale flames of his son's Spellfire.

"NO! Kai, don't do that. We're here, we'll get you out!", Natsu yelled as loud as he could.

Next to him he could hear Gray yelling just as loudly, "Damn it, you promised me you wouldn't do this!"

Lily flew Gajeel towards the two mages, "I'm sorry guys, I tried to get him free.", Gajeel said with regret, "Lily and I can't stay up here any longer. It's up to you two now."

They looked at each other, eyes full of determination as they waited for an opening to go get their son.

Tiamat was in a rage, she had already struck Acnologia several times but he stubbornly refused to let go of the little dragon. Her heads screamed in frustration as she could see how hurt the dragon was and she worried that if they didn't get him out of there soon he would die.

Natsu and Gray got tired of waiting on the sidelines. They had stayed out of Tiamat's way as requested but that was not producing any results and they were not willing to risk losing their son. They sprung into action.

"Ice Make: Saucer"

Acnologia howled as he felt the unexpected pain from the spinning disk slicing through the skin of his stomach giving Gray the opportunity he needed to get at the dragon's snout. He molded two gigantic lances.

"Ice Make: Freeze Lances"

"Hang on a little longer Kai, we're going to get you out."

He quickly wedged the lances in the dragon's mouth and had Frosch fly him away. Acnologia was forced to hold his mouth open to keep from impaling himself. He roared in anger and unleashed his breath attack aiming to destroy the lances as well as the little dragon. He was confused when nothing happened not being able to see the blue glow in his mouth. Kai used the stolen energy to attempt to heal himself.

Tiamat quickly stung Acnologia with her tail in the same spot the ice mage had gotten with his ice saucer, the poison at the tip seeping into his system. She then grabbed his one arm and held it against his body, attempting to restrain him long enough for Natsu and Gray to grab Kai.

"Natsu…..", Gray said nervously. The ice mage molded an ice cannon and pelted the projectiles at Acnologia's wing membranes creating a multitude of holes while Tiamat restrained him. She used her heads to bite at whatever flesh was nearest. The black dragon fought against the arms that were locked around him but for the moment they were caging him.

Happy flew Natsu into the mouth of the dragon and the fire mage began to gently pull Kai off of the fangs that were impaling his body. The dragon had his eyes closed and he whined at each movement but tried to bear it even as he felt the blood continue to seep out of him. Even though Natsu was able to free him from the fangs, the dragon was too heavy for him and Happy to carry.

"Kai, can you change back for me?", Natsu asked as calmly as he could manage.

Kai nodded, not trusting himself to talk. He had held off his attack when Tiamat had arrived and instead attempted to use his spellfire to heal himself as much as he could but it wasn't much. He had run through most of the magic he had absorbed from Natsu and Zeref. He had used up a large portion of it when he attacked Silver. There wasn't much left. He morphed back into his child form so he could be picked up. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked up at his father's face surprised to see the abject fury reflected there, he must look as bad as he felt. He could tell his father was struggling to keep himself under control for his sake as Happy flew them away.

Natsu had never felt such rage in his life, he was feeling positively murderous. The wounds which had looked quite severe on the body of the small dragon looked much worse on its human counterpart. The little body was battered, gouged and it was positively leaking blood. Even worse it looked fainter than even just a few minutes ago. His instinct to fight was overpowering, he wanted nothing more but to go to Acnologia and kick his ass for what he had done but he knew that he couldn't do that. As much as it irked him he would have to trust Tiamat to take care of that for them. He had to get Kai the help he needed and that had to come before anything else.

"Gray, he's losing too much blood. You need to freeze his wounds."

"No time, here just give him to me.", Gray grabbed Kai from Natsu's arms and coated the boy's entire body in a thick sheet of ice.

Kai shivered and he felt his pain begin to ebb and then disappear as the ice numbed his nerve endings. He closed his eyes again and let himself fade out of consciousness. Frosch flew very carefully not wanting to hurt the little boy any further. He touched down gently and Gray placed Kai on the ground hoping that someone still had some magic left to help his little boy. He turned to thank Frosch for all his help and found him sitting next to Kai's head. Natsu landed next to him and Gray felt the anger that was radiating off of his mate in waves of extreme heat. He felt the internal battle Natsu was waging just to stay with them and not go off on his own to fight. Gray grabbed Natsu's hand and squeezed it, willing him to calm down.

Wendy and Sherria arrived quickly and Gray melted his ice so that they could work on Kai.Wendy sent Carla for Porlyusica as they tried to stop the bleeding and heal the child's internal injuries with what little magic they had left. They were soon joined by all their friends.

Acnologia head butted Tiamat and she loosened her grip enough for him to escape. He flew away from her quickly feeling the damage in his wings. He frowned as he realized he would not be able to outdistance her.

Tiamat watched Acnologia attempt to fly away. Now that her son was no longer in any danger from him there was no point in continuing to fight. She checked on her magic power one last time to reassure herself that she had enough for what she had planned.

"Your reign of terror is coming to an end.", Tiamat bellowed, "No more will you terrorize dragon or human."

"Who's going to stop me?", Acnologia sneered, "You? You look half dead already."

"You look no better, pretender. It takes more than the power you stole to be a dragon. Now,since you worked so hard to become one, I will judge you accordingly."

Tiamat sonorously intoned from all of her heads, "I, Tiamat, Immortal Queen of the Chromatic Dragons and Nemesis of the Gods find you guilty of genocide. The time to face the punishment for your crimes has arrived."

Acnologia stared at her not quite sure what to make of her outburst but he recognized the power that still remained within her and he became uneasy.

"For your crimes you will be banished for eternity to the Dragon Eyrie where you will face the wrath of all the dragons you slaughtered."

She allowed herself one last look at her son who was still being worked on by the healers and hoped that he would be alright. She could do no more for him. She ignored the longing she felt and called on her magic to send her home. She rushed at Acnologia who tried to fly away from her but he was not fast enough, the tears in his wings his downfall. Tiamat wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and smiled maliciously.

"Plane Shift: Dragon Eyrie"

Both dragons disappeared, a thunderclap of air rushed in to fill the void where they had been and then there was only silence. The mages sat around in shock, not quite believing that their enemies were finally gone. Soon cheering began and everywhere tears were shed and hugs exchanged. All of them were too tired to really do much else.

Further away the mood was grimmer as Porlyusica and the other healers had done everything in their power to help Kai. Although the worst of his wounds had been healed he had not woken up and his body had faded to the point that he was not much more than an apparition. Porlyusica had made everyone leave except for Makarov and the members of Team Natsu. Sting had wanted to come and apologize but Rogue had wisely grabbed him and kept him away for his own safety. Gajeel, Levy and Juvia as well as Lyon and Silver kept vigil a short distance away.

"He's a beautiful child", Erza said with a soft smile as she ran her fingers through Kai's hair.

"There must be something we can do.", Lucy said with frustration.

"No, but there's something I can do.", Gray said with growing confidence, "What he needs is magic and I've used up the least out of everyone here."

He looked at Porlyusica for confirmation and she nodded her agreement.

"We'll need to find a way to make him stop if he doesn't wake up.", Porlyusica warned, "I don't want a repeat of what happened with Natsu."

"He needs to wake up.", Natsu growled.

"Feeding him magic will be a good start, that's how he woke up last time.", Gray reminded him as he grabbed one of Kai's hands and placed it in his own. It felt cold even to him, he channeled his ice magic to his hand and waited patiently for Kai to begin absorbing it but nothing happened. He glanced over at Natsu anxiously.

"Last time I had to attack him with my lightning before he responded.", Natsu said as he grabbed Kai's other hand. He felt how cold the little boy's hand was and he felt an overwhelming sadness at the thought that they might not get him back this time. He refused to give up though, he would give up everything he had if that's what it took.

"What are you doing, Natsu?", Gray protested, "You need to conserve your energy for when he casts Dragon Soul."

"You don't have to do this alone, Gray.", Natsu said, "Have you forgotten already? We're stronger together."

Gray startled at his words and then smiled. "You're right."

Natsu watched as his and Kai's hands became covered in flames and added a small amount of lightning. He waited to feel the pulling that he had experienced before but nothing came.

"Come on Kai, fight!", Natsu spoke to his son, "Don't go. Stay with us, please."

His eyes began to tear up as there was no change to Kai's condition. He added more lightning being careful not to hurt him.

"There's so many things we want to do with you.", Gray said his eyes growing teary as well, "So many places we want to take you. Please come back to us."

Wendy could not take their sadness anymore so she got up from where she was sitting with Lucy and Erza. She kneeled behind Kai's head and used what little magic she had left on him as she tried to find if there was something that was keeping him from waking up. She shook her head in frustration. There was nothing she could find.

"Damn it!", Natsu let out a frustrated yell as he punched the ground with his other hand. The temperature of his flames and the intensity of his lightning rose to reflect his mood and finally he felt it. He felt the pull he had been looking for, it was weak but it was there. He peered at Kai and saw the barest trace of blue surrounding his body.

"He's doing it, he's doing it!", Natsu cried excitedly as he felt the pull on his magic become stronger.

"You jerk, you didn't tell me how much this hurt!", Gray gasped.

"Since when does a little pain bother you?", Natsu said with a smirk, "You've got to relax, keep an even flow of magic going and don't fight him."

Natsu and Gray allowed Kai to drain them of their magic power. Their friends looked on with excitement as they dared to hope that the smallest member of their family was coming back to them. He woke up right about when Gray was beginning to feel woozy but was too stubborn to say anything because he refused to let Natsu outlast him. Much to their relief Kai immediately stopped his absorption to keep himself from accidentally hurting either of his parents.

Gray scooped him up in his arms and laughed when Kai sounded exactly like Natsu had earlier.

"You really need to stop grabbing people when they're injured.", Natsu pointed out.

"Maybe you just need to stop being injured all the time.", Gray retorted.

Makarov interrupted then, "We're all glad to see Kai back boys, but the longer we put this off the harder it will be for all of you."

Natsu and Gray glared at their Master, unhappy about what was to come.

Gray looked at all the people surrounding them, "Could we have some privacy?"

Everyone said a quick goodbye to Kai and left. Gajeel came over quickly.

"I'm glad you're ok, runt. What you did back there was really stupid, but it was also very brave. I'd fight at your side anytime. See you soon.", he patted Kai on the back and made his way back to Levy, leaving the three of them alone.

"Kai, as much as we would love to have you stay here with us you're body's not ready yet.", Gray began.

"I know.", Kai said glumly, "Igneel already told me I need to go back."

"It won't be forever", Natsu said, "Maybe you can figure out a way to talk to me."

"I tried, you never replied. Igneel was able to get through a few times but you thought it was a dream."

"Oh", Natsu said sadly, not knowing what else to say as he realized how lonely Kai would be without Igneel there.

He gave Kai a hug and kissed his head fondly. "I'll see you soon."

Gray looked at Kai, trying to memorize his features until he saw him again before also hugging and kissing the boy goodbye.

"We'll be waiting for you.", they smiled trying not to show their distress at the separation.

"Goodbye Father, goodbye Dad.", Kai said shyly. He peered through his bangs to see Gray's reaction to his new name.

"Is that ok?", Kai asked nervously.

"You broke him.", Natsu grinned as he saw the silent tears coursing down his mate's face.

"Yes, Kai. It's very much ok.", Gray said as he hugged his son one last time.

Kai sat down and began to cast his spell when Natsu interrupted his concentration.

"Oi, Kai. Do you think you can be a little gentler the next time you come out?"

Kai scratched the back of his head and said, "I have no idea, I was trying to get out quickly at the time. I'll try."

He took a deep breath and cast his spell.

"Dragon Soul"

He began to disintegrate into particles of energy and he heard two I love you's as he was transported back inside of his father.

Natsu and Gray sat quietly for a few minutes giving themselves time to digest everything that had just happened.

"I'm really going to miss him.", Natsu finally said sounding forlorn, "I hope he still remembers everything when he's born. There's a lot of questions I want to ask him about Igneel."

Gray pulled Natsu in his arms and held him tightly. So much had happened that he had somehow forgotten about Igneel dying. He'd forgotten about his own father too, but he didn't want to think about that now.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu."

"I still can't believe he was inside me all that time.", Natsu said, "I feel so stupid."

"How were you to know?", Gray said, "You did everything you could to find him even when we made fun of you, even when you faced disappointment at every turn. You never gave up, Natsu. That's just who you are. I think it's part of the reason I fell in love with you."

Natsu pulled away and looked at Gray nervously as he spoke. "I fell in love with you because you always watched over me, even when you pushed me away. You always gave me just what I needed, whether it was a fight, or a talk, or even just space while I figured my shit out. I've considered you my family for a very long time.Your role just kept shifting. You went from rival, to friend, to brother and finally to mate but the truth is I never could imagine my life without you.That's why I stopped you on Galuna and why I will continue to do so no matter what happens in the future."

They gazed at each other, both somewhat embarrassed by the words they had shared. Words that were made even more meaningful because they both knew they did not come easy to them.

Natsu broke the gaze first as he leaned in to kiss his mate. He put all of his feelings for his Ice Princess into it and was thrilled to feel Gray respond in kind. Their kiss became deeper as they opened their mouths up for the other to explore.

'Someday, soon I hope,' , Natsu thought, 'I'll be ready for more and we'll truly belong to each other in both body and soul. I'll finally be able to put Tiamat and my capture behind me.'

The kiss came to an end and they smiled, content with the way things were between them.

"So you're pregnant again, I wonder if you'll get fat this time.", Gray teased.

"Fuck off, stripper.", Natsu grumbled even as he was glad that the mushiness was over.

Gray laughed as he grabbed Natsu's hand and they walked together in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts as they slowly made their way back to the others.

The End (well, except for The Epilogue)

xxx

A/N When I first started out writing this story I had a lot of different ideas of how I wanted things to go. I never expected it to be this long but that's my own fault for being somewhat disorganized when I write. I like to joke that I write an outline in the beginning and then look at it again when I'm done to see how far off I got but it's somewhat true. I tend to let myself go more on feelings than trying to follow a strict plot line. For that reason there will be an Epilogue dealing with a few things that I felt did not belong in this chapter but I wanted to get resolved anyway. That will be the absolute last chapter of this particular story, I promise.

Having said that, I was asked to write a sequel to deal with Alvarez in this timeline. If there is one thing I learned from writing this story is that I did not enjoy the retelling of canon plotlines so much. I do have an idea for a sequel and to some of you it might already be obvious what it is as I began the setup in the last few chapters, and from the one chapter in Kai Drabbles (which I stopped temporarily due to spoilers). I will be writing a new drabble soon which will deal with why Kai was not waking up and what role Igneel played in bringing him back to Natsu and Gray.

Ah yes, the sequel. I will write it but I'm not sure when it will get started as I need a break from long stories. Probably early next year, before I lose interest. I have a notoriously short attention span so this story was quite an achievement for me as it took over three months to write. I have 3 shorter stories I am working on at the moment.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I tried my best. I would have liked to have heard from more of you but I am quite honored by all the reviews and comments I did receive as well as all the kudos, subscriptions, favorites and follows. Thank you for letting me know in some way that you enjoyed it.

I'd like to give a special thanks to EclipsingParadise, SilverWhiteDragon and ClumsyKat as well as my husband and son who stuck with me for most of this adventure and gave me lots of encouragement along the way. In the end, I was writing it mostly for you guys (and myself). I hope we continue to be friends in the future.

Thank you!

-mdelpin


	35. Epilogue

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe. Drakan belongs to Surreal Software.

Epilogue

It had taken them awhile to figure out how to get off the Tartaros Cube and back down to solid ground and when they had they were faced with an even bigger shock. As they stood amidst the rubble of what had once been their guild their Master had declared that Fairy Tail was disbanded. He didn't give them much of an explanation and he had quickly disappeared before they could demand answers, but they just couldn't let go so easily. It would certainly not be the first time they had disobeyed one of the Master's orders. Most of them had grown up within the walls of some variation of that building and letting it remain destroyed felt like abandoning the only home they had ever known.

They stood looking at the wreckage of what had once been their guild hall not sure of what to do. Elfman offered to rebuild it himself seeing as it had been his fault that it had been destroyed in the first place but they all agreed to help, not sure what to do with themselves if they were not in Fairy Tail. So they spent their days doing construction so that they could get back to work and put the whole nightmare that had been Tartaros and Tiamat behind them. Laxus and Erza agreed to share Master duties, neither one ready to take control of the guild full time.

It was easier for some of them to forget than for others. Natsu had lots of nightmares. Some had to do with Tiamat and his capture, others with Tartaros and Igneel's death, but the absolute worst ones were the ones in which Gray or Kai died. Those were the ones that would have him getting up in the middle of the night rushing to Gray's apartment looking for comfort. So they ended up sleeping in the same bed more nights than not. It was easier. Gray could tell that the nightmares were getting to Natsu and he was starting to slip back into some of the depression he had suffered after his capture. The guild was not yet finished so there were still no missions to distract him with and Kai felt like a pleasant dream he had woken up from much too soon to hold on to.

Two months had passed since Tartaros and Kai had yet to be born. One day when Natsu had not put in an appearance at the guild Gray went to his house to check on him and found him looking wretched in his bed. He had allowed himself to get excited that Kai was about to be born only to learn that there were days when Natsu missed their son so much that he didn't take Porlyusica's medicine just to feel Kai inside of him. The next day Gray commissioned Reedus to paint a portrait of Kai for them as a visual reminder and maybe something for Natsu to look forward to. Reedus made them each a copy and they kept it in their bedrooms. The whole experience made him think about his own father, something he had been actively avoiding.

Lyon had told Gray that he was going to take Silver with him for awhile to let him heal and to give Gray some time to think about what he wanted but Gray had chosen to stay away and tend to Natsu. Maybe in a way he was using Natsu as an excuse, telling himself it would be a betrayal to his mate to go see his father. He could still remember Natsu's anger when Gray refused to allow Kai to heal Igneel and then Silver had almost killed Natsu soon after. Was it fair for him to have his father when Natsu had no one? He knew in his heart that Natsu would never begrudge him a relationship with Silver, that was not the way he was but Gray still felt guilty.

Maybe the real problem was Gray himself and the fear that the real man could never live up to his memories of him. Yes, if he was honest with himself that was probably closer to the truth. Over the years he had built up this idea of Silver that he clung to because he couldn't remember too much from his childhood before Deliora and every year he lost more of it. If he allowed himself to meet the real man, he might very well be disappointed. He had been Gray's first hero, had given his life to protect his son and wife from a demon. Now that Gray was considered by some as a hero he was well aware that they were all too human and humans, even undead ones were not perfect. They were messy and full of flaws and perhaps they were heroes because they were able to rise above those flaws to perform acts of great courage and sacrifice.

Silver had tried hard to protect him even going so far as to extend that protection to his mate and child. He had been taken over by a being that he could never defeat but he had still fought valiantly against something clearly outside of his control. He allowed Kai to attack him without fighting back. He had given Gray space to decide for himself what he wanted. Gray thought he had reached a point where he could forgive the man behind the mask of the hero. It was time Gray went to see his dad.

"Natsu", Gray approached his mate nervously not sure of what his reaction was going to be, "I was thinking I should go to Margaret Town to see Silver."

"It's about damn time.", Natsu said.

"You're not upset?"

"Why would I be upset?", Natsu replied, "Igneel is dead, it sucks but there's nothing anyone can do about that, but you're dad is still here. Of course I want him to be a part of our lives."

"Will you come with me?", Gray asked shyly.

"Do you even have to ask?", Natsu grabbed Gray's hand and kissed his knuckles, "We're walking there right? There's something I want to talk to you about along the way."

"Sure."

They packed their travel bags and headed out stopping at the guild to let Erza know they were going to be gone for a while. Happy decided to stay, there was nothing of interest for him at Lamia Scale and he still had bad memories from the last time he had gone there with Gray.

"What did you want to talk to me about?", Gray asked carefully, not sure what to expect.

"I saw Zeref at Tartaros."

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me?", Gray yelled.

"Honestly, it was only for a few minutes and with everything that happened I forgot. It wasn't the first time. I saw him on Tenrou as well."

"How did I not know any of this?"

"It just never came up. Just…. let me talk, ok?"

"Fine.", Gray said grouchily.

"I've been having these dreams lately of when I was little. They're different from the nightmares. When I wake up I don't remember very much about them but I do know Zeref is in them. When he first saw me on Tenrou he knew my name Gray. He commented on how I had grown and how he'd missed me, hell he cried. He definitely acted like he knew me. The way he looks at me I can't describe it well enough but it's like I mean something to him. I feel something too, some connection that I don't understand."

"He told me he was there looking for the Book of E.N.D., he said that E.N.D was his strongest demon and he had not fulfilled his purpose yet. He also said that although he had created the demons themselves he had nothing to do with Tartaros. That was E.N.D. as well. Since we didn't find the book it's very possible that he has it in his possession. Zeref is up to something and I think E.N.D is going to be a big part of it. I'm betting it's going to be up to us to stop them and however many other demons he still has."

Natsu chose not to tell Gray about the other strange words that Zeref had said about him finding the price of killing E.N.D to be more that he could bear because frankly short of having to kill Gray he could not think of any reason why he wouldn't kill the demon. There was no need to worry him with all of Zeref's strange ramblings.

"When he saw me at Tartaros he told me my soul was different. How could he know what my soul looked like?", Natsu looked at Gray nervously about to give voice to what was actually bothering him, "I think I do know him somehow, I just can't remember how and he refused to tell me when I asked."

"What possible connection could you have to the Black Wizard?", Gray asked him trying to make sense of everything Natsu had just told him.

Natsu could only shrug unhappily. 'What does anyone really know about him or me for that matter?"

He knew his next topic was going to be even more difficult, Gray was not going to like it at all. They walked on in silence and Natsu waited until they were closer to Margaret Town before he began.

"After we bring Silver back with us I'm going to leave for awhile to do some training. If we're going to be going up against Zeref we're going to have to get stronger. I can't do that with you coddling me all the time."

"I'm not coddling you, I'm taking care of you."

"I know and I appreciate it but I need to stand on my own for awhile, even if only to prove to myself that I can. Tiamat took that away from me and I need to get it back. Think on the bright side, it will give you some good bonding time with your dad without me being in the way."

"You won't be in the way. Can't you train and get stronger at home?", Gray asked hopefully.

"I'll be home before you know it.", Natsu said and the tone of his voice let Gray know that it was not up for discussion.

They had no idea when Kai would be born. Neither Porlyusica nor Wendy had been able to find any information that could help but Natsu figured it couldn't be too much longer, except for the one day Kai had been out he had been pregnant for a little over three months. He knew that he would not be able to leave once his son was with them. He and Gray had already been talking about living arrangements once their son arrived. They had decided to build a house closer to town for the four of them and let Silver take over Gray's apartment or Natsu's house if he wanted to stick around. Both places were too small for a family. Natsu let himself smile at the idea that pretty soon he would have his very own family.

Gray sighed, he knew that tone well. Natsu had made up his mind and there was nothing he could say to change it.

"I'm going to stop by Sabertooth to talk to Sting while you talk to your dad. It's time I put him out of his misery too."

They arrived at the Lamia Scale Guild and Natsu saw the nerves that Gray was trying to hide behind the scowl he usually showed to the world. He waited for the ice mage to open the doors but nothing happened. Natsu wrapped his arms around his mate and hugged him tightly.

"I was thinking, when I come back from my training trip maybe we can go to Akane Beach for a vacation. Just the two of us.", Natsu looked at his mate seriously, "Tiamat has come between us long enough."

Gray looked at his mate eyes wide open, this was very unexpected. Did Natsu actually say what he think he said? "Do you mean--"

"Yeah, I do.", Natsu interrupted, "I love you Gray, and I think it's time we fully claim each other as mates.Now, don't you think Silver's been subjected to Lyon long enough?"

Gray snorted, Lyon could be very difficult to live with. He was very particular about his things.

"After everything you've been through, you deserve this.", Natsu assured his mate, "Now get in there and go talk to him. I'll be back to eat dinner with you guys."

Natsu gave him a small shove through the doors. He made his way to a window and peered inside. He watched Gray walk up to his father who looked at him nervously. They sat down together and began to talk. Everything was going to be just fine. Natsu smiled and walked away heading for Sabertooth.

THE END

xxx

A/N Sorry it took so long! Thank you for joining me on this journey. It was an odd story for me to write considering my lack of knowledge of DND but I've always liked a challenge and thanks to my husband's help on that part of it I feel I am mostly happy with it. I think I will probably rewrite the Prologue at some point but I'm not sure when that will happen. I am going to leave you with a bonus which was originally part of the Epilogue but my husband convinced me belonged in the second part. I'm not sure when I'm going to start it but it might be sooner than I expected since I got excited writing this last part, which may or may not change.

One last thing. My awesome husband commissioned the lovely Celestial Rayna (on devianart) to make a cover for this story as a birthday present for me. If you have covers turned on in the app you should be able to see it and on the web as well. AO3ers can see it on the summary. I think she did a lovely job, don't you?

Somewhere in Part 2:

Although he certainly wanted to talk to Sting there was one other reason that he was going to Sabertooth that he had not told Gray about. He wanted to talk to Rufus Lore and after the events of the Grand Magic Games he knew that would be a touchy subject for the ice mage. Rufus' magic had something to do with memories and Natsu was hoping that he could look into his mind and see if he could find Zeref in there. He needed to know what their connection was before he was forced to face him in battle.

He arrived at Sabertooth quickly and was greeted by Rogue Cheney, the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu?", Rogue raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was time I talked to Sting about Tartaros.", Natsu replied evenly, "Is he around?"

"Yeah, he's in his office for once. I'll take you.", Rogue led the way through the guild towards the Master's office, "I heard about Fairy Tail being disbanded by Makarov. That's a shame."

"Well, it's not really disbanded. Erza and Laxus are doing the Master thing until Gramps comes to his senses. The guild hall is almost completely rebuilt."

"Oh, I hadn't heard. Are you still--", Rogue asked awkwardly gesturing towards Natsu.

"Pregnant? Yes."

"How's Gray?", Rogue asked politely.

"He's fine. He went to see his father.", Natsu looked at Rogue, "Can I ask you something?"

Rogue nodded.

"Erza told me that when you were giving Tiamat your magic she changed into Sting briefly. Why did she do that?"

Rogue immediately looked at the floor trying to hide his face from his fellow dragon slayer. "I don't really know why she did that. I didn't ask her to, if that's what you mean."

Natsu smirked, he thought he might be able to forgive Sting after all. As terrifying as the whole experience had been he could certainly understand getting distracted if you thought the one you loved was in danger. He wondered how long Sting had felt that way towards Rogue. Now that he was pretty sure that Rogue felt the same way, this was going to be fun.

Rogue knocked on Sting's office door and opened it when he heard Sting invite them in. Natsu saw Sting's face light up when Rogue entered the room and then become nervous when he saw Natsu walk in behind him. Once Natsu entered the room, Rogue left them alone.

Natsu sat on one of the chairs without being asked and to Sting's surprise immediately began asking about Rufus.

"Rufus? Why do you want to know about him?", Sting asked acting a little more at ease for the moment.

"I know he can make things from memory, but can he see into other people's memories as well?", Natsu asked with interest.

"I think so?", Sting said his face pensive, "I've never seen him doing it but I feel like I've heard him talk about doing something like it."

"Do you think he would be willing to do that for me?"

"What's this about, Natsu?", Sting asked, "I would think you'd be more interested in forgetting things."

"Don't worry about it, do you think he would do it?"

Sting sat there and thought about it.

"That depends, would it piss off Gray?", Sting asked with a grin, "Does he even know you're here?"

"He does, but he thinks I'm just here to talk to you.", Natsu said, "It would probably piss him off."

"I guarantee Rufus will do it then, but he'll want to make sure Gray finds out about it."

"I don't care. I plan on telling him after anyway.", Natsu shrugged.

"Ok, stay here. I'll go find him." Sting left his office returning a few minutes later with the memory make wizard who looked at Natsu with interest.

"What is it that you are trying to remember?', Rufus asked.

"There is this person who acts like they know me but I don't remember them at all. I need to know if you can find him in my memories."

"Who is this person you are looking to find?", Rufus asked.

"Zeref.", Natsu said quietly.

"Zeref, are you mad?", Sting stared at Natsu, "He's a myth. He hasn't been seen in hundreds of years."

"That's not true, I've seen him twice now. At Tenrou Island and again at Tartaros."

Rufus looked at the Fire Dragon Slayer intently trying to determine whether he was being truthful.

Apparently satisfied by what he saw he asked, "Alright, what does he look like?"

Natsu grabbed his bag and removed a folded piece of paper from its contents. He opened it and showed it to the memory make mage.

"I had our picto mage draw this up for you." Natsu tried to hand the picture to Rufus.

"No need, I've already committed it to memory." He motioned for Natsu to stand by him. He put his hands on either side of Natsu's head. "This might feel strange but don't fight it, try to relax."

Rufus entered Natsu's mind looking for any signs of the man in the drawing but he could find nothing outside of the two instances the fire mage had already told him about. He continued to search going as far back as he could until he hit a wall. He tried pushing against it but it would not budge. He saw Natsu squirm with discomfort and he backed off. He had never seen anything like this before.

"What did you see?", Natsu asked eagerly.

"Well you're certainly as destructive as they say.", Rufus said giving himself time to consider what he had seen.

"And?"

Rufus looked at him "There's no easy way to say this, your memories have been tampered with. I can't see anything from before when you lived with the dragon. The memories themselves are there but I can't access them, and I think neither can you."

"How do you even do that?"

"I have no recollection of coming across anything like this before ", Rufus shrugged, "but maybe there's something there that someone doesn't want you to know. There's nothing else I can do."

Rufus exited the room leaving Sting and a frustrated Natsu in the office. Great, now he had more questions than when he got here.

"What is going on, Natsu?", Sting looked at his friend with concern.

"I don't know, I don't know what any of this means.", Natsu lamented, "Sting, do you remember anything before Weisslogia"


End file.
